Whichever Way the River Flows
by artloife
Summary: Sequel to 'Of Strength and Grace'. Kyoko stands steadfast and determined against everything life throws her way. Ren does the same. After all, no matter how the river flows, it takes but nature's course.
1. Chapter 1

Here begins the sequel to _Of Strength and Grace_ , which was a sequel to _Five Times Tsuruga Ren Slipped and Covered with a Smile._ To understand any of this, you must read those first. Additionally, I changed my username because having so many different handles on the internet has begun to frustrate me.

To all my faithful and patient readers, enjoy.

…

 _My story begins as many do; with a marriage to a wonderful woman. I had not accomplished much before my marriage, with my one true success being that I achieved a year abroad at Cambridge in England. This was due in part to my academic prowess, but also due to a need in my department to gain access to books we could not otherwise find, but that we required to have a complete library._

 _I was concerned with my legacy at a young age, mostly because of the notable success of my various relatives. So, in an effort to disconnect myself and my accomplishments from the shadow of my family's name, I entered into my wife's family and took her family name. My wife was everything I was looking for, and it might have been the romantic in me, but I strived to be the man of her dreams._

 _She was brilliant, beautiful, ambitious. Her family's inn was her pride and joy and so it remained that way for all of her days. I admired that determination and that dedication to her duties. Perhaps, over the years, I was a little bit envious that she had such a prominent pride and joy. My work was much more subtle, translations of philosophies and legalese that made people call me sensei. Regardless, she was my sun, and I was happy to be her moon._

 _When we gave birth to our first child, we were joyous beyond belief. In our son, we could place our hopes of the continuation of our legacy. When we next gave birth to a daughter, we were overjoyed once more. In her, we could pass on our love for our family and our home._

 _When we were once more told to expect the birth of another child, we were surprised, but still pleased. Perhaps in this second daughter, we could pass on the love we had for our beliefs and our philosophy._

 _Excerpt from_ _Spring at Mt. Oguso_

 _Act 1, Scene 1: Yoneda Michitada's Opening Narration._

…

Kyoko watched avidly as Kawaguchi-san intoned his narration in the voice-over booth under Director Shingai's instruction. She was fascinated not just by the words, moving though they were, but by the raw emotion the older man could express through the words of Yoneda Michitada. She subtly pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. But, the brief flash of pain let her know she was definitely awake.

As Kawaguchi-san continued to recite the opening narration, stopping and adjusting inflection and such and then repeating as Shingai-san wanted, she sighed. Being able to pass the audition for _Mt Oguso_ was something she still was uneasy about and she felt as if the reality of it hadn't fully set in.

She admired so many others in this production for their dedication and their talent that she couldn't help but want to be everywhere at once, absorbing as much as she could from the various talented cast and crew. She'd spent an entire afternoon the day before with wardrobe, oohing and aahing over the hard work of the tailors and seamstresses for the various kimonos, obis and other costumes that they had been working on for the first scenes they were to shoot. It was such thoroughly detailed work that Kyoko couldn't even be tugged away from her observance of it by Moko-san tempting her with tea and treats.

However, Yashiro being the competent manager he was, had eventually managed to wrangle her into obedience as her schedule was pretty overstuffed at the moment. They had to squish in everything she needed to take care of so she could take a leave of absence for the location shooting. The location work promised to be about two months long, as far as they could figure, and she would only get a couple breaks during it.

Kyoko straightened to attention as Shingai seemed to be wrapping up with Kawaguchi-san. She'd gone ahead and decided to meet them here, to help assuage her curiosity about how the voice-over narration would work, and she was happy to see that Director Shingai would help coach them through it. Well, and she'd made sure to schedule it so she had the opportunity to do so before they started shooting the scenes Kyoko needed to do before she had to leave that day.

This was the first time she'd be doing one on one scenes with Kawaguchi-san as Michitada and Yayoi and Kyoko couldn't wait. She'd even done some extra preparation by studying Marcus Aurelius' _Meditations_ just for it. Kyoko blew out a nervous breath as Shingai and Kawaguchi-san came out of the booth and greeted her. She bowed and replied.

"Let's work well together today!"

Kawaguchi-san let out a soft laugh that instantly put some of Kyoko's nerves to rest.

"Yes, let's. You're as professional as ever I see. I must say Shingai, you've found a diamond in the rough here." Kawaguchi-san's slightly teasing voice made Kyoko blush as they ambled back down the hallway to the set.

An odd smile crossed Shingai's face that only Kawaguchi caught and the older man looked between the Director and the young actress in quiet curiosity. To his slight exasperation however, neither responded to his compliment.

Kyoko, in an obvious attempt of deflection, started chattering away, asking questions a mile a minute that Kawaguchi struggled to answer in time before she blurted out yet another. _Well, she's certainly something else, huh? So exuberant…_ he thought to himself, entertained at such a wholesome and talented young woman being so genuinely interested in the craft. He indulged her throughout their work together that day though, as he found he simply couldn't stop himself from doing so. _Ah Shingai, what have you got me into this time?_

..

Nick was half asleep in his morning grub when in his half-aware state, he heard a distinctly familiar voice. He peeled his cheek away from the hand that had been holding his head up and stared groggily at Ren, whose raised voice had roused him. The actor was on his phone and paced agitatedly in front of the bay window in the breakfast area as he spoke.

"I assure you Yashiro-san, this firm will be fine for what I want to do."

After a moment, he spoke again. "Yes, training has been fine, no worries here."

Nick had to smirk at that. The military trainer from the naval base had actually challenged Ren to a boxing match just to see if the 'pretty boy actor' could actually handle himself well. Ren had held his own pretty well, but had not won the match. Said trainer and Ren now challenged each other practically every other day to see who could one up the other. Ren typically lost, but he'd surprised the trainer a couple times. Not surprising, in Nick's opinion. The trainer probably had fifteen years boxing experience on them, at the least.

Nick's ears perked up again as he overheard more from Ren's call as he munched on his breakfast.

"Yes Yashiro-san, I've looked that offer over. I may be able to squeeze the audition into that timeframe you said they wanted it done in, but I have to double check the date with Director Konoe-san."

Nick felt the familiar surge of sympathy mixed with envy as he heard that. Sympathy because of Ren's rough schedule, and envy because Ren, who was actually younger than him, always seemed so far ahead. He knew Ren was always willing to put in that extra effort, _Spring at Mt Oguso_ was a prime example, but Nick always wondered if the other actor ever got tired of going non-stop all the time. He had always been that way it seemed like, since Nick and Ren had been snot-nosed teens sharing smoke breaks while working on R'Mandy shoots. Nick had never been able to keep up and had long since gotten tired of trying to compare himself to Ren's self-imposed and impossibly high standards.

He was disrupted from his musings as Ren's voice raised again in exasperation. "Yashiro-san, I'm hanging up now. I need to eat sometime." Nick watched in amusement as Ren rubbed his brow as if trying to get rid of a headache.

"What-wait, no, you know what, I don't care anymore, tell her whatever you like." Then, more slyly, "I'm sure my esteemed manager, noted as one of the best professionals out there, can appropriately indicate my well-being to those that are concerned about it."

Then, most puzzling of all, "I'm hanging up now. Goodbye." Accompanied by a frustrated growl and Ren slumping down at the table with a groan.

Nick made a sympathetic noise, "Kind of an early call ain't it?"

Ren sighed heavily but threw a faint smile Nick's way. "A little yeah. It's really not that big of a hassle, but all this training has me more tired than I care to admit so, I may have been a little short with him."

Nick nodded sagely, "I get that. My manager sends me emails if we're apart for work so we can avoid getting on each other's nerves."

Ren stretched a little, "Is everyone else still asleep?"

"Yep." Nick said, "So far as I know. But I woke up starving and we're running suicides right after breakfast if I remember that right."

Ren groaned again, "Looks like I'll be icing my ankle again tonight."

Nick winced in sympathy. In the midst of stage combat instruction the other day, an extra had accidentally gotten a solid hit in on Ren and that had made Nick all the more grateful that he hadn't had to undergo the amount of training Ren had needed to. Ren's training was just as thorough as Atsushi-san's because the both of them had needed to bulk up as much as they could for the roles in question.

"Poor bastard." Nick said, and patted Ren on the shoulder as he went by to turn in his dishes to the kitchen. The long-term site they were boarding with had a fantastic kitchen, and Nick was not about to mess up the extra treats he got from the early morning baker by not abiding by the rules.

He was at the outside exercise area doing his stretches by the time Ren caught up with him again. Nick only recognized Noa and Jin from the group that was blearily stumbling in behind him. Nick's jaw popped as he yawned and he mused over whether the others were just some additional extras. He wouldn't be surprised.

From the last week of them being on-location for training, he knew only that some of the cast stood out to him more than others. Everyone was too focused on the physical training, and then eating, and then more training, and then, if you were lucky, getting out early enough that you had some time to yourself the rest of the day to do what you needed to. For Nick, Ren, Noa and Jin, that meant, in-between days they had to meet the naval base trainer for unit choreographed work and other basic knowledge of how a unit functioned, they met up to do rehearsals. Or, if they got bored with that, days where they did team-bonding.

Team-bonding usually consisted of the four of them hitting up a paintball facility for either a free-for-all, two on two, or the four of them against four others. So, Nick had recently gotten back into the daily routine of waking up at a godawful hour, placing a call to his better half to get him going, and then eating and then stretching. He wasn't getting any younger, and Noa and Jin were wicked fast at paintball. He was used to competing with Ren for things; boxing or modeling, or attempting to drink each other under the table. But, he'd forgotten that other young stars were rising and he had to keep up if he wanted to stay on top of his physical fitness.

Today, he was in luck. After the suicides, their combat instructor had Nick and Ren pair up against Noa and Jin for a search/attack/defend maneuver. Noa and Jin searched and attacked, while Ren and he laid traps to catch them or they defended if they were caught off-guard. Nick didn't mind, he had some ego-soothing to do after Jin got him right on his helmet last night at paintball.

He snickered to himself at he created his trap. Their course had provided them with a lot. He and Ren were released onto the course first, for a twenty minute head-start for set up. They'd all been provided with rope, rubberbands, spray paint, firecrackers and a small matchbox, string and fishing wire, paintball guns and ammo.

His trap was simplistic in nature. He laid out a simple tripwire at a particularly irritating section of course, wherein you couldn't really go around that part of the ground, only walk through. That was the obvious bit. Nothing would happen when walking through, but three steps after that, he'd dug out a wide, shallow path of moist earth, damp from the rain in the night presumably. It stretched wide across the obvious path from the trap and once that divot was stepped in, rubberbands pulled tight from where they were hooked triggered a can of neon orange spray paint to release its trigger and spray the victim who'd activated it.

Their instructor hadn't said what the trap outcomes should be, so he got inventive. If they tripped into the pitfall, not paying attention, that'd be funny by itself. But, how would he know? And thus, the spray paint idea had been born. Nick snickered to himself again, but then heard the five-minute warning alarm sound. Straightening up from where he'd been covering obvious signs of the pitfall he'd made, he hurried back to Ren.

Ren cocked his head curiously as he saw his dirtied hands. "What did you go and do?"

"Oh simple stuff due to time constraints, like trip wires and pitfalls. Oh,and tried a pitfall with spray paint. Dunno if that one'll work. But it'll be funny if it does." Nick smirked. Ren snorted a little and tossed him the other side of net he'd been working on.

"Come on, I saw a spot we could make this trigger at."

A little while later, after they'd rigged up the net, they were perched in trees about halfway through the course and Nick had a good look around them. The course really didn't have too many trees and they'd have to be sparing with using them as hiding spots. He calculated routes almost without thought and the fact that he did so made him chuckle a little.

"Hey Ren?" He called out, voice pitched appropriately to not be overheard.

"Yeah?" came the response.

"Didya think you'd be doin this when you said sure, sign me up for that extra training!"

Nick caught his low laugh and he fought to keep from smiling himself.

"Definitely not." said Ren.

Just then, a high pitched wailing noise sounded, near making Nick fall from his perch. He held fast to his paintball gun and the branch he was on and caught laughter coming from the tree near him.

Nick stared in awe down at the course, "We didn't have alarms! What'd you do?!"

"Had my key fob on me and rigged it to a tripwire near the entrance of the course." Nick shook his head and snickered.

They waited in the trees for about ten more minutes, keeping as still as possible as Noa and Jin neared their hiding spot. A bird call sounded and Nick smiled. That was the signal. He and Ren dropped from their perches, as quietly as they could and slunk around behind the other pair as they passed by them.

Each of them had a handkerchief from the instructor. Winning the course was simple in theory. Get the other team's handkerchief and make it back to the beginning of the course. Ren was the stealthiest of them, and he crept up behind Noa and easily snagged his from his back pocket with a deftness that Nick could only envy. Nick hadn't been able to see where Jin's was and he continued his hunt.

Not much later, Nick noticed that Noa and Jin were coming up on their net trap and swore silently to himself. He knew for a fact he'd not be able to get to Jin's through a net. He'd told Ren to make it back to the entrance and just wait for him so they could both leave together, as instructed, and was cursing himself to high heaven now.

He thought frantically as they got closer, patting his pockets down for anything he might have left. He felt his little matchbox in his shirt pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. Nick slipped his firecrackers out of his cargo pants, lit some matches and ignited the firecrackers. He aimed to their left, so they would move to avoid the trap, then ducked behind an evergreen bush with some good cover as the firecrackers went off.

After some explosive cursing, silence settled enough for Nick to brave a peek out. He'd been lucky, Noa had been the one to go running off to investigate the noise, leaving Jin alone. Nick thought, if he was quick enough, he could slide in close and grab his paintball gun at least and disarm him. Nick sent up a prayer to the heavens and went for it. Pulling on his baseball days, and the muddy earth, he rushed into the area, dropping to his knees and sliding home, in true baseball fashion. He got his hands on Jin's gun, yanked it from him, and spun away, leaving Jin stunned enough to just stare at him.

Before he could holler for Noa, Nick tossed their guns to the side and had him in a hold he couldn't break out of unless he wanted to dislocate his shoulder, making sure to clamp a hand over his mouth. Jin struggled fruitlessly for a while, enough for Nick to start getting nervous about Noa coming back. He cast around for an idea and then remembered that some pinch-holds actually had you pass out for a couple minutes. He rearranged enough to manage that hold, then waited with baited breath for Jin to slide into unconsciousness.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief as it worked. He fished the man's handkerchief out of his front shirt pocket, _crafty bastard_ , and then booked it back to the entrance with both of the guns. He cared not one whit to keeping silent this time, sacrificing stealth for speed and when loud hollering started echoing from behind him, he let out an adrenaline-fueled laugh. A couple minutes later, he ran up to Ren, who'd been waiting where they'd planned, and the two of them exchanged a high-five, laughing and congratulating each other as they exited with as much haste as they could.

As they spilled out into the area where the instructor was waiting, holding out their handkerchiefs they'd won, the man cocked an eyebrow, looking a little bit less stony-faced than was normal.

"Well, this is unexpected." The instructor gathered up all the handkerchiefs and then continued. "I see that you two were a bit speedier than is your norm."

Ren and Nick exchanged a slightly guilty look. They may have slacked recently in their physical fitness, before they'd arrived here for training. But, that was life right? You got busy and...the instructor cut Nick's train of thought off.

"Nevertheless, you win this time."

Ren and Nick gave each other satisfied smirks. Nick's only grew even bigger when Noa and Jin stumbled back out, looking aggravated beyond belief. There, on Jin's pant leg, was fresh neon orange paint.

…

Kyoko rubbed her neck where it ached as she settled into her chair on the set of _Spring at Mt. Oguso_. Her call times were basically how she and Yashiro planned out her day now. It was the end of the first week of shooting, and all week they had had to schedule around her ikebana lessons, her tutoring for the LME acting school, and the last bit of _Sacred Lotus in the Mire_ duties she had to do. She'd actually been so busy she had actually missed school and Darumaya work. But, as per production scheduling, things had been accelerated so they could fit all of the shooting into this year so the series could be released after the first of the year. She didn't quite get all of the scheduling reasons, but she was relieved to be able to get it all done in the span of a few months.

She'd just come from ikebana lessons, and she felt as if all the names and arrangement instructions were spilling out of her ears. She groaned faintly and rubbed at her neck again, doing her best to avoid rubbing at her eyes and messing up what the make-up crew had done, and briefly looked over her script for what was on the docket for the day.

Mostly, she did so just so she could focus and recenter herself. She and Oohara-san had actually been prepping for this particular scene all week. The first act of _Spring at Mt Oguso_ had Yayoi and Daisuke's wedding and so the work leading up to the actual wedding ceremony took up a lot the scenes she was in in the first act. Kyoko thought it was pretty smartly written, in her opinion. If you opened a series where a lot of it was focusing on a singular family, it could quickly get boring. But a good way to bring subtext of familial relationships into sharp relief was to place them into a stressful situation, ie, the wedding.

Her first serious scene in the first act in regards to the wedding had been with Yayoi's father, Michitada. Kawaguchi-san, despite a couple of her own mistakes due to nerves, had been very pleasant to work with, just as he'd been in group scenes. Kyoko had been a little intimidated at first, but he'd quickly put her at ease on breaks between work. The scene had been a simple one, where Michitada had been reminiscing about how Daisuke had asked for Yayoi's hand.

It had also helped that he had indulged her quite a bit in answering the multitude of questions she'd asked him. Kyoko shook her a head a little, exasperated as she thought about it. _But,_ _he was quite patient with me, he's such a nice man, maybe I didn't frustrate him?_ Well, she sure hoped she hadn't come over as too unprofessional at least.

Her next one had been with Kanae, who was playing Yayoi's best friend Akiyama Nozomi. Or, to the pair of them, they played Ya-chan and Mi-chan. Ya-chan and Mi-chan had just been teasing each other over lunch about boys in general. The scene had to be fun, a little serious, but full of emotion. For these two, Ya-chan was about to make one of the biggest steps forward into adulthood. The girls were only eighteen, only five years out of a brutal war and on the cusp of yet another if their elders were to be believed. They were also both leery of having too much of a good thing, and relieved that they even had a happy occasion to celebrate. Being able to play opposite Kanae in such a situation was beyond Kyoko's wildest dreams. She'd been in ecstatic tears all day yesterday about it, to Kanae's long-suffering exasperation. But honestly, who could blame her after the hell that was _Lotus in the Mire_?

However, the scene she had today was very, very different from those other two. It was one of those sibling squabbles that was to leave a lingering hurt that Yayoi and Yumika would be spending the next five episodes attempting to repair. Kyoko was extremely apprehensive. She was stuck between not understanding how siblings could act like that, and recognizing that how she and Shotaro acted now when they pissed each other off, was really similar to how siblings that didn't like each other behaved.

It was a humbling idea to wrap her mind around. It only solidified her certainty of how naive she used to be about Shotaro if she was only now recognizing that they fought like siblings. _I was truly, truly blind._ It might have been pitiful, but she was now feeling gratitude again that their fallout, as messily as it had been done, at least helped her realize how much she was not only damaging herself, but the relationship that they had cultivated since they were young. _Well, and it also helped me considerably in recognizing that I needed to grow up._

In light of what her mother had explained to her, Kyoko could more fully understand how lucky she had been as well. If she had had continued to deceive herself like that, how far could the damage have eventually gone? She shuddered as progressively more awful scenarios danced about in her mind that would have been the fault of her own naivety. But that train of thought drew her once more to her script and she bit her lip in consideration. Was this squabble about an older sibling thinking the younger one was too idealistic and naive? The dialogue certainly suggested it, she thought as she thumbed through it.

She sighed as she realized she was getting angry over the dismissiveness of the older sister in the scene as she reread it. _I seem to get most fired up when people dismiss me, don't I?_ She shook her head wryly and straightened a little in her chair, rereading her dialogue as she waited to be called onto set. She only had a few more minutes to wait, she presumed as she took in the scene of Oohara-san miming sewing motions on the hem of the wedding outfit.

Her guess was right, and Shingai called her on only a little while later. Kyoko settled in at her desk on the set, and picked up the _Naval Newsletter_ and pretended to be absorbed in it. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she reigned in her emotions. This scene was too important to mess up.

As much as she and Oohara-san had practiced though, their tempers began to fray about half-way through the scene and Kyoko had to step back and ask Shingai-san if she could take five.

He gazed at her from where he stood beneath the steps of the set as she twiddled her fingers nervously in front of her.

"I certainly don't mind, we're ahead of schedule in fact, but what seems to be the problem?"

Kyoko felt herself flushing nervously, "I'm pretty sure I made Ya-chan too angry. She should be more refined. I think I just needed to remember that more."

Shingai hummed thoughtfully, "There's merit to that thought, certainly. But, as much as she's been trained to be a proper young lady, this is her sister. In some ways, they know each other better than anyone else. It's in how they were raised, it's in how they have coped with their tragedies. And they are coming from very different places and both of them feel pretty betrayed. Sometimes, you can only be this angry with family, does that make sense?"

Kyoko listened carefully, and nodded shortly after Shingai finished talking. "Yes, yes, I think so. Thank you Director." She bowed and Shingai nodded.

"Certainly Kyoko-san. Resume your place. We'll start from the top."

Kyoko returned to her desk and picked up the newsletter again, her resolve strengthened. She heard Shingai's call for action and let Yayoi take over again.

…

Yumika pushed open the door to the room, hauling in the last of Yayoi's wedding outfit for the following day. Yayoi smiled up at her from where she sat reading at her desk. She stood as Yumika hung up the last of her outfit pieces with the rest on the stand next to her dresser.

The kimono was a beautiful cream color, with a patterning of chrysanthemums, and it was to be paired with a similarly floral-patterned yellow silk obi. Yayoi had had to save up from her wages for six months to get the material. Mi-chan had argued for a more Westernized outfit but the Yoneda matriarch had been livid at the thought. Her mother, older sister, and herself had all had a hand in sewing the outfit, as had also been determined by Yayoi's mother. Yayoi's parents just wouldn't be able to afford a seamstress if they also wanted to give Yayoi and Daisuke help in affording their own residence.

She and her sister stepped back and just gazed in admiration at the outfit for a moment. "Thank you for these last little alterations. I'm truly lucky to have a sister with such steady hands." Yayoi said, fondness apparent in her tone.

Yumika sent her an affectionate look and came over to give her a small hug that Yayoi returned.

"Of course Ya-chan, I know tomorrow is something new and scary for you, and naturally, as your nee-chan, I want to do whatever I can to help you through it."

Yayoi threw her arms around her older sister again and squeezed her tight. "I'm lucky to have you."

Yumika patted her gently and then stepped away to check and make sure Yayoi's hair pieces for tomorrow were all still where they were supposed to be.

Halfway there, she noticed the newsletter laying out on Yayoi's desk and frowned.

"What have I told you about reading trash like that?"

Yayoi's smile slipped off her face and she felt herself tense. But she couldn't help but defend herself and it came out in her tone.

"It's not trash nee-san, I'm reading it so I can further my understanding of-"

"You really think those Americans care at all whether or not you understand them?" Yumika scolded, "Their blatant disregard for our beliefs and our culture clearly show that they don't care one whit about understanding."

Yayoi's face grew inscrutable as she tried to respond, "Onee-san, you know that's not true. Your anger clouds your judgement."

Yumika scoffed in disbelief, "Your foolishness is going to lead you down a path you're going to regret later. Listen to your big sister, for once."

Yayoi tried to speak but Yumika cut her off, "Look Ya-chan, I didn't want to get into this, not with your big day tomorrow, I just don't understand why you refuse to listen to me about this. You're usually never this unreasonable. Just listen to me about this, alright? You'll thank me later for it."

Yayoi's jaw tightened in anger and she slowly released a breath to help calm herself and tried again, "I have listened onee-san. Over and over again I have listened to you disrespect them and disparage them and I am sick of it."

Yumika, as much as she tried to get her temper under control, couldn't help but snap, "I'm only returning the same disrespect and disregard they have shown us!"

"That's not fair! When you paint everyone with the same brush, you only become part of the problem. Not only has their help been invaluable for our country's progress-economically and otherwise, but the help their people give otou-san at the embassy makes his job so much easier. And that's why he can come home more now!" Yayoi was near pleading with her older sister, and tiredly holding onto the last threads of her temper with everything that she had.

Yumika sneered, "I wondered when otou-san would come up. As much as he taught all of us children, you did always think of him the most highly. It's clear that your sheltered upbringing has cultivated little to no anger in you at the injustices we have had to endure."

Yayoi stiffened, her frustration getting the better of her and she demanded of her older sister, "What will you have left?"

Yumika scoffed again, and went to speak but Yayoi cut her off.

"When your anger burns out, because it will, what will you have left? Because I can tell you that the regret you will feel then will be overwhelming and you will have to live with that for-"

"Don't lecture me like this is a scholarly philosophical debate. This is reality. Wake up and realize what's happening around you. And do you think the man you're marrying will go along with the way you think?"

Her eyes narrowed at her older sister, "Daisuke-san and I often debate Plato, and Marcus Aurelius' Meditat-"

Her older sister's hands curled into fists, and she stalked over to Yayoi's bookshelf and snatched up her copy of Marcus Aurelius' _Meditations_ and flung it her way. Yayoi quickly dodged to avoid being hit, the book thumping against the legs of her desk with a sharp smack that made Yayoi flinch.

"This? This means nothing to me!" her older sister snapped, no longer able to keep her temper under control.

Yayoi's bit back angry words about her sister's treatment of her precious books and instead continued with what she wanted to say, "It should. Father was right to try and teach it to us. And you know the danger he was in when he did it. But it's proved pretty important in the political climate that exists now, hasn't it? We must understand our new allies if we are to make any progress-

"Our new allies!? _Allies?!_ Our way of existence was terrified into dismantlement due to their attacks and their bombings! How dare you forget so quickly what we've been forced to endure!"

Yayoi stared steadily at her furious older sister and felt her insides crumbling into disarray, filled with a pain she couldn't quite name.

"It wasn't them that took away our older brother." the silence that fell abruptly was deafening in its breadth. "That was our, our _honored and respected_ military leaders you're so quick to defend. You so quickly forget our sins in an effort to point fingers."

The fury in her sister's eyes blazed ever brighter.

"You and I have virtually no sins to speak of. That was a foolish thing to say. You're still such a child."

Yayoi straightened her spine and stared her sister down, "I was not referring to you and I. I was referring to those despicable people that were supposed to take care of us, that were supposed to be the people to lead us into a better future. It was they that were so eager to betray their own people and our principles, betray our ideals and our philosophies, and for what? More land? More resources? In an effort to gobble up our sister countries, they twisted everything that was important to us into their tools, and all for a pursuit of a disgraceful and dishonorable undertaking."

Her sister opened her mouth, most likely in an effort to refute her words but Yayoi cut her off before she could.

"You know this to be true. You know what the letters brother sent back said. You know what keeps father up at night. Our own people betrayed us first."

"This is disgraceful! How dare you judge what-"

Yayoi interrupted Yumika's snappish retort to continue what she was saying, "And then, when surrender was inevitable, instead of changing tactics, instead of trying to save what they could, they left their people to die, and to starve. And all of it was futile. It was futile. And it was shameful. And this way of life, this is what you want to defend?"

Yayoi studied her sister as silence fell again, her hands tightly clasped together to avoid their trembling-the indicator of the depth of her emotional upheaval. Her sister seemed at a loss for words, stuck between defending what she'd said and the truth.

Yayoi spoke up again after a moment passed and her sister didn't not respond. "I am aware of the reality of our situation. I've lived through it too. But I will not let my anger get the better of me. I refuse. Not only is it shameful to let your emotions control you in such a fashion, but I refuse to be a hypocrite. The truth is not black and white onee-san, it never was. We must learn our lesson if we are to move forward."

Yayoi turned and strode towards the door of her room, she'd kept her mother waiting long enough. She paused at the door though, and turned to look back at her sister. She was staring at the floor, angrily curling and uncurling her hands into fists.

"I am sorry sister, that this became the fight it did."

Yayoi flinched when her sister turned her resentful gaze on her and she scurried away before the fight reignited.

Kyoko let out the breath she'd been holding only when she stepped off set after Shingai cleared them to end the scene. She felt almost light-headed at the amount of emotional upheaval she'd just been experiencing. She did her best to reign it in and felt the Yayoi that burned inside her flickering and struggling to stay on the surface. Kyoko breathed in deep once more, and slowly released. She was more successful in keeping Yayoi at bay this time around. She opened her eyes to find Oohara-san slightly off to the side, gazing at her in a thoughtfully amused manner.

"That was wonderful Kyoko-san. I'm lucking to be starring opposite you." Oohara-san said.

Kyoko flushed in embarrassment and bowed deeply to her senpai, "I should be the one saying that to you. You were wonderful. I'm very happy I get to work with you again."

Oohara-san laughed a little and waved off the compliment, "We'll just have to agree that we both like working with each other or we'll embarrass ourselves further."

Kyoko smiled, her embarrassment waning, "As you like senpai."

Oohara-san then took her leave, as she was done for the moment and was capitalizing on her free time to grab something to eat.

Kyoko blew out a big sigh and settled back into her chair to await Atsushi-san and the next scene while the crew ran about doing work around the set. Curiously, her brain and heart were much quieter. Still, she worried over the scene not only for her own performance, but because of the heaviness of the subject matter. I _have virtually no grounds on which to identify with Yayoi's perspective here,_ she thought to herself. _Am I good enough to do this_?

Some time later, as she was rereading the next scene in the script and feeling uneasy about that as well, a voice spoke up and startled her out of her musings. "What's on your mind? You look deep in thought."

Kyoko swung her eyes up to Atsushi-san's, "Oh good afternoon! Let's work well together today."

Atsushi smiled, "Indeed. Well, what's got you so deep in thought?" Kyoko bit her lip in consternation as she thought his question over.

There was another moment of silence before Atsushi spoke again, "I know it might seem unusual for me to ask but that little furrow in your brow has me quite curious." There was a gentle tease in his tone that reminded Kyoko of the Ishibashi trio and that made her smile a little. She sighed and then answered.

"To be honest, it feels very odd for me to be doing the scenes I'll be doing with you today. I've never even dated. Doing a rehearsal of a wedding is a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around."

Atsushi Isami stared down at the girl, faint surprise overtaking his features, "You've not been on dates yet?"

Kyoko felt a hot blush spreading over her face and felt a pang of embarrassment over being so forthcoming.

She was distracted from replying when Atsushi settled into a seat next to her and tapped a thoughtful finger against the arm of the chair and spoke again, "That's interesting. I can't say I've ever been in the situation you're in right now. So no one's ever taken you out for anything special? Even a friend?"

Kyoko thought for a moment and she laughed a little nervously before she replied, "But even if friends do that, that's not quite the same right?"

Isami hid the small smile that question produced. Kyoko-san, as much as he'd had misgivings, was never nothing but professional. In addition, she was pleasant to be around as she was always energetic, nice and cheerful. Her being stumped by part of the production was inevitable, as she was young still. But, the look on her face as she attempted to work this out was too adorable for Isami to not smile at, a fact that he figured she wouldn't appreciate. He cleared his throat a little to get her attention again, as she seemed to have resumed staring at her script like it had the answers to all her questions.

"Well that depends Kyoko-san. If you want it to be the same, it will be, even if it's 'just a friend'. I imagine, considering how you responded, that there's probably someone in your life that treats you in a pretty special way. And that they treat you different than how they treat everyone else."

Atsushi's glance to her was faintly knowing, and Kyoko struggled to keep her composure. Thankfully, Atsushi quickly moved on, "So, think of it this way Kyoko-san, Yayoi and Daisuke are very close friends. Daisuke is undeniably in love and he can't help but be charmed by her. But this is only their beginning. If you have ever been out with friends and they did something nice for you, or if a friend has taken you out for some special reason and did it just for you, remember those charmed and delighted feelings you had then. It's a good starting point, as this is a special event that's only for Yayoi and Daisuke, and they are charmed and delighted by it."

Kyoko had to struggle to not be doused in a memory of tealights dancing along a stream in a garden. Her brain then helpfully conjured up a memory of a hazy pub, a soulful drawl, and a breathless dance.

"I see." she stammered, flustered beyond belief and hoping a blush wasn't suffusing her face.

Atsushi shot her a smile, "It's natural to be worried and uneasy with this type of event. But it's also natural to feel happy to be doing it with a friend. Try to keep that in focus too."

"Thank you for your advice Atsushi-senpai."

"Of course Kyoko-san, I have faith that you'll be able to figure the rest out as we go along." Kyoko blushed again as Atsushi sent her a gentle and reassuring smile. Her cast members were certainly doing their best to put her at ease and she was supremely grateful for that.

As she squished her flustered feelings into something resembling a professional composure, she once again promised herself that she'd do her best to not let them down.

...

Ren's phone ringing is what eventually stopped the rehearsal that he and Nick were doing between their characters of Lieutenant Commander Taylor and Lieutenant Bill Burnham. Ren excused himself as hastily as he could; he was eager to spend some time alone talking with Kyoko. It was a system that they'd slowly put in place over the past week. Either she would call when she was done, or he'd call her when he was done. So far, it was working out well.

"Moshi moshi?" Ren was happy to hear Kyoko's bubbly greeting soon after he answered his cell. He leaned against his balcony rail and stared up at the stars as she cheerfully related to him her successes of the day.

A few minutes went by before she paused, and then sounded a little embarrassed as she spoke again, "I'm sorry, you must be so tired, and this must be very boring to you."

"Oh no, not at all. I love hearing about your day. It's nice and normal and does not include paintball or obstacle courses or stage combat." Ren's dry tone of voice as he listed off what he had to put up with sent her into a round of giggles.

"I couldn't believe the picture Noa-san sent me of he and Jin-san. Did Nick-san really lay out a neon orange paint trap?"

"He sure did. Never seen the man look so pleased with himself while covered head to toe in mud."

Kyoko's laughter brought another smile to Ren's face. "And how are your rehearsals going? It can't be all choreography and stage combat, right?"

Ren sighed, "Other than trying to get some bonding to happen with these guys out here, it kind of is. We rehearse the lines, but as you know, our scenes as one solidified group aren't that big until Act 4 and we don't have that script yet."

Kyoko hummed thoughtfully, "I'm surprised, I thought Shingai-san said they were accelerating the timeline again because of a weather thing. He said something about us being on location by next week."

"Huh, no we hadn't heard that yet. Perhaps we'll be informed tomorrow some time. But well, that shortens our time apart considerably. It would be nice to see you." Kyoko blushed at the warmth in Ren's voice.

"Ah, well, yes, certainly. That would be nice." She struggled to not hit her head against her window from where'd she'd been settled in to stare out at the stars while she talked with him as she silently berated herself for her stupid words.

"Mogami-san?"

"Hhhyes?" Kyoko struggled to hide her dismay as she heard her voice pitch weirdly from nervousness.

Ren's voice grew ever-so-slightly more amused, "Mogami-san, there's no need to sound so nervous. Don't friends _want_ to spend time together? Don't friends _miss_ each other when they're away from each other?"

Kyoko felt her eyebrow beginning to twitch in irritation as Ren layered more and more suggestive emphasis into his questions. _This man is too much, truly, this playboy!_ She struggled to respond with something resembling maturity before being struck by the memory of Atsushi-san's words earlier in the day.

"Ren," Kyoko said abruptly, and Ren stopped and pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at it in consternation. A beat later he then put it back to his ear and responded hesitantly.

"Um, yes?"

"Would you say you find me charming?"

Ren felt unease stirring to life inside him, "How do you mean?"

Kyoko suddenly lost all courage she had mustered up and let out a nervous laugh and tried to play it off,"Oh, it's something Atsushi-san said to me today. It was curious, what he was saying about special things with friends and how charming people could be. So, it made me start to wonder."

Ren stiffened as he heard this and began agitatedly pacing back and forth, "Atsushi-san? What do you mean? What were you talking about?"

Kyoko desperately searched for a way to get out of this conversation and then surprised herself by yawning a little. Her eyes widened as she noticed the time. Well, that was as convenient an excuse as any and she blurted it out in a hurry, "Actually Tsuruga-san, I have a chance to make it to school tomorrow morning so I want to turn in early. I'll talk to you later, alright? Rest well!"

With that, Ren was left staring at his phone in aggravation as the call disconnected.

"What special things with friends?" He eyeballed his phone with some frustration as he muttered this. "You better not have been hitting on her Atsushi." He grumbled a little bit more as he tried to think it over. Atsushi was about as nondescript as you could be for an actor, and Ren knew he was happily married with a child on the way. Ren knew he had him beat in terms of appeal, but still that unease ate at him as he got ready for bed. He found himself staring at his fingers as they hovered over his keyboard as he contemplated sending Kyoko a message. He sighed and settled against his pillows and stretched out on his bed.

"This is stupid. This is so stupid. Why am I doing this?" He let out a soft groan and ran a hand through his hair, but found himself sending the message anyway. He tossed his phone onto the nightstand with some exasperation, then rolled over and punched his pillow into a shape he could sleep on. It was stupid yes, but he was often stupid when it came to the girl he loved, as he had learned long ago.

In Tokyo, a still flustered Kyoko was roused a little bit from the ball she'd curled herself into under her covers by her text tone going off. She peered hesitantly at her phone but found herself opening the message despite her sensible side telling her to let it go. A delighted thrill ran through her that had her heart pounding anew as she saw the message was from Ren. She knew then that Atsushi had been right. She was being treated as 'special' and she knew it.

The text was a picture of the night sky, and Ren's message was simple. _The view is better when I'm sitting next to you._

…

Shingai said his goodbyes to the cast and crew leaving for the day and went and shut himself off in his office. He had one last meeting for the night, and then they were all to be bussed off to their location shoot bright and early in the morning.

He settled into his desk and rummaged around for the paperwork in question. His security chief has asked him to personally clear their latest hire before they went on location and it had stoked Shingai's curiosity. As he read through the resume, he could see why his chief had wanted him to handle it. The person in question had just recently left their previous employer. _Interesting, what's this about?_

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter."

A young man, well-built and with sandy hair, entered his office. He bowed and said his greetings and Shingai waved him in.

"Come on in, take a seat. I understand you come highly recommended. My chief was impressed with your resume and your interview."

The younger man squirmed a little, a sign of his discomfort before he muttered his thanks. Shingai studied him, shrewdly noting how his fists curled and uncurled in his lap, presumably a nervous tick.

"So, what made you want to apply to this position?"

The young man cleared his throat, "My mentor suggested it actually. He said that a varied resume would do me some good. And an old coworker of mine let me know you had the position available."

Shingai nodded absently. The old coworker was his security chief, and that was part of the reason he'd wanted Shingai to approve this. A thought tickled his mind and he flicked his gaze back down the resume, "Ah, is this mentor of yours why you stayed so long with your previous employer?"

The man nodded, "Yes sir."

"So why not finish out with their current production? By all regards, they're still halfway through shooting. It's a little unusual, as I'm sure you're aware Kinji-san."

"I am."

Shingai raised a brow as Kinji-san did not speak further.

"As you may know, we're leery of hiring individuals that cannot commit to at least the two-month time span this location shooting requires. It seems reasonable of me to ask this, wouldn't you agree Kinji-san?"

The young man flinched a little, "Yes sir."

Shingai waited for a moment, then sighed gustily, "Kinji-san-"

"I hadn't intended to leave when I did." Shingai's eyebrows raised again as he was interrupted. "I really do love working with Ogata-san's typical crew. I've learned a lot."

Shingai waited again as Kinji-san squirmed a little more, "There's just been some frustration with some things about his current work and so I thought a change of scenery would do me some good."

"That's...interestingly worded." Shingai tapped his fingers against his paperwork as Kinji-san stared determinedly at the floor. Shingai could read between the lines decently enough however. Something was frustrating the young man and instead of just having it handled within the crew of Ogata's production, he'd decided to leave. It was rather drastic for someone that had worked with the same crew for close to three years however, and that was curious indeed.

"Look Kinji-san, I'll be blunt, we'd love to have you, we need every helping hand we can get with set security, especially ones with the experience you have. Is this... _frustration_ going to continue to be a problem for you? Or can you commit to this?"

Kinji-san looked up, a faint look of hopefulness in his eyes as Shingai caught his gaze.

"I can commit sir. It won't be a problem at all. I promise" For emphasis, he bowed his head in thanks.

"Good, glad to hear it. Be here at seven sharp in the morning." Shingai released him with that, but then stopped him at the doorway, "And Kinji-san."

The younger man looked back.

Shingai smiled a little, 'Welcome to the team." He was rewarded with a bright smile and another thank you before Kinji left.

Shingai gazed down at the paperwork, his curiosity stirring. It seemed, as much as he'd wanted to get a hold of Ogata, fate had wound up dropping an opportunity into his lap.

…

Kyoko and Kanae stumbled out of their bus, and Kyoko winced a little as she took in the brightness of the mid-morning sun. Kanae was similarly aggrieved by how bright it was after the cool shade of their bus and was muttering curses about it that made Kyoko smile. They and the rest of the group, which had included Oohara-san, Atsushi-san, and Misaki-chan, were shown into the building they were staying in. They were to check in at the desk so they could be given keys to their rooms.

Kyoko faintly heard Shingai saying two persons per one room, and she quickly snagged Kanae. This was going to be like a sleep-over times ten and in Kyoko's mind, that sounded like the best on-location shoot ever.

Before the group was able to leave to drop off their luggage, Shingai stopped them to tell them to head to the dining hall as soon as possible for a brunch.

Kyoko heard Misaki-chan's cheerful voice then, "Will everyone else be there to?"

A faint murmur of interest rippled through the assembled group.

Shingai indulged the apparent curiosity, "Yes Takimoto-san. This will be the impromptu first meeting of the entire cast."

Excited whispering overtook the crowd and Shingai then made sure to speak over it, "That means drop your luggage and quick! You don't want to be the last one in and lose out on food options!"

With a great deal of hustle and bustle, the crowd dispersed to their rooms. Kyoko was pleased to see that she and Kanae had grabbed a key to a room on the second floor, with a nice view of the sleepy town they were near, and the big set they were working out of from their balcony. Before she could get too lost in thought, Kanae grabbed her and hustled her back down to the dining hall.

The din was overwhelming, and Kyoko was happy to have Kanae at her side. Kyoko knew they could handle new and unusual situations better together. Certainly, it had come in handy with _Sacred Lotus in the Mire_ shoots. As they were standing in the food line being served, she felt Kanae lean over her shoulder.

"Don't turn around, but Tsuruga-san is headed this way towards the line." Kanae whispered in her ear and Kyoko froze.

Now that she'd been notified, she distantly realized that the general hubbub had quieted some. A new sense of unease overcame her as she remembered that she'd avoided his persistent questions about her conversation with Atushi-san last week by being a chatterbox. Which had been easy to do over the phone, and not something she was likely to get away with in person.

 _How did I not plan for this?_ Kyoko thought wildly and then promptly blamed it on Yashiro for keeping her so busy. She found herself grabbing Kanae's hand on her tray to hold her still.

"Kanae, please, don't ask me why right now, but please don't leave me alone with him."

She felt Kanae stiffen as the other girl recognized how serious her tone of voice was. Despite her request though, she felt Kanae whispering in her ear again.

"Did he do something Kyoko?" Kyoko kept her mouth shut and smiled brilliantly at the kitchen staff serving them. She gave them her most polite expression of gratitude, and then booked it, hauling Kanae with her, looking for all the world like she was starving and in a huge rush to eat.

As she veered away from where Ren was in line, she kept her head down, just in case. Once she had installed herself and Kanae at a table, she spoke again.

"No he hasn't done anything, I just did something stupid."

Kanae's eyes narrowed and Kyoko dodged her gaze by stuffing slices of apple in her mouth.

Kanae only let that fly twice more before demanding further explanation.

"I'm sorry Moko-san, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Is there anyone else you _can_ talk to?" Kanae asked flatly. Kyoko slumped a little in her seat and sighed.

Kanae rubbed her forehead in exasperation, "Look, I know he makes you nervous, I get it. But do you really want that to hold you back?"

Kyoko worried at her bowl of fruit, turning it this way and that.

"Kyoko look at me." Kyoko slowly dragged her gaze up to meet Kanae's.

There was a compassionate look in her eye, despite her stern tone of voice, "If you can't trust yourself right now, trust me. Treat him like you always have, and it'll work out. Avoiding the issue helps nothing."

It looked like she wanted to say more, but they were interrupted by Oohara-san and Misaki-chan joining them at their table. Promptly distracted, the four young women excitedly began to chatter about the pretty location and the scenes that they were to rehearse and shoot that day. Oohara-san had an important one at the studio with the teahouse set with Sugaya-san and Misaki-chan, while Kyoko and Kanae and a few others were to head to the jazz club location.

Their chatter petered off one by one as Misaki-chan fell silent, and looked past where the other three were sitting, surprise filtering onto her features. Kyoko stared, confused, but before she could ask, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She sat there, stunned as she felt the familiar sensation of Ren leaning down to talk in her ear.

"Mogami-san, how rude. You didn't come greet me." It was all Kyoko could do to bite her tongue and not let the squeak out as she stared, hopelessly fascinated by how close his hand was to hers on the table.

She slumped in relief as Kanae slid forward to get his attention from Kyoko's other side, "It wasn't rude at all actually Tsuruga-san, I told her to wait."

Kyoko could feel the tension zing as Moko-san held Ren's gaze, challenging him. Ren straightened a little, his hand falling off her shoulder.

"Kotonami-san, how unusual. You two are usually so good at being polite." His gentlemanly facade did not hide that he was throwing Kanae's challenge back in her face and Kyoko quickly spoke up.

"Ahha, you see, Moko-san and I had been rehearsing our scene this evening and you know how we get, we want to do the best we can, without being distracted."

Kyoko's gaze narrowed as Misaki-chan looked confused, and looked like she was about to open her mouth to disagree. _I apologize in advance Misaki-chan._ Kyoko gave her a swift kick to her foot under the table to preempt her saying anything. Misaki shut her mouth again, bewildered at Kyoko's behavior. It was all for naught however as Oohara-san, on Kanae's other side, spoke up.

"Oh, how rude of us, we didn't realize! Shall Takimoto-san and I go on ahead then?" Kyoko heard Kanae's faint groan and Kyoko gave it up as a lost cause as Ren spoke again, a subtle tease threading through his words.

"I see. Studiously working as ever, even through lunch. A truly admirable quality."

"Yes, well, we just want to be as good as you someday," said Kanae, hastily trying to cover it up.

Kyoko shot her a small glance and mouthed, 'give it up, it's fine'. Kanae threw her a frustrated look but sighed and signaled for her to do as she liked.

Kyoko cleared her throat a little, "Really Oohara-san, it's no trouble. You guys are fine-"

Ren interrupted, "Ah I see, I'm the one that's the distraction."

Kyoko ground her teeth together as he tried to bait her into saying something damning, amusement apparent in his voice. There was a loaded silence before Kyoko could gather her wits enough to respond.

"Nonsense Tsuruga-san, Moko-san and I were just very focused at the moment. I deeply regret not greeting you-"

Ren leaned down again, his hand on the back of her chair and spoke in an undertone into her ear, so only she could hear.

"That's not the only thing you're going to regret. Consider yourself off the hook-for the moment." As smoothly as he dropped the teasing warning, he stood back up again.

He smiled at them all, "Ladies, I'm off to a rehearsal, but let's do this again sometime. It's been a pleasure."

He strode off and Kyoko glared after him. _That playboy! Did he really need to be that charming just to be a tease?_ She then stopped herself as she thought that and let out a groan as it reminded her again of Atsushi and hers conversation.

Kanae patted her on the back in sympathy and Kyoko turned her attention back to the rest of the table, so she could field the flurry of questions the others gave her. But just for good measure, Kyoko cursed him again in her head.

…

In Act 1 of _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ , Yoneda Yayoi and Lieutenant Commander Jack Taylor had one-on-one meetings three times. While the commander was the one to accompany the base's youngsters to Yayoi-sama's brief lessons on ikebana, calligraphy, and the tea ceremony, it was always something done as outreach. Which meant that everyone was always the most professional they could be.

Kyoko stared grimly at the words on the page in front of her as she thought this over. The first meeting where they actually talked with each other was the teahouse scene that had been done for the last audition. The second was a happenstance meeting that was set chronologically in the first act, but would not be revealed until the second act. Which left the third meeting, the night out at the jazz club. This was the scene they were to do this evening and even if Ren hadn't challenged her earlier in the day, she'd still feel as determined as she did in this moment.

Yayoi was stirring to life inside her, itching for the scene to start. Kyoko was rereading her dialogue, doubly determined to make sure her work would be flawless on the first take as she waited for Kanae to be done with wardrobe. Kanae had called her a worrywart that morning on the bus, but after lunch, she'd agreed with Kyoko. Something about Ren's behavior had them on edge, and they were definitely not going to let him steal this scene.

Her gaze shot over to where Yashiro and Ren were talking animatedly, Ren in his character's uniform, and she cursed him again in her head. _How is that man so damnably attractive?!_ Shingai's voice then caught her attention and she pricked up her ears so she could listen.

"...you sure, sir?"

"Yes. Ito-san knows what he's doing, just make sure to follow what his setup is." Shingai's patient voice had her curious so she looked around to see where he was. He appeared to be instructing camera grips and sound guys about something. She got up from her seat, and wandered over.

As they group continued to discuss something, one of the staff she didn't know looked her way, cocking his head inquisitively. He stepped closer to her, talking quietly so he wouldn't interrupt the group "Kyoko-san, did you need something?"

Kyoko flushed and shook her head, "Sorry, I was just wondering what was going on."

Recognition dawned on the crew-member's face, "Oh! Yes, well, we're doing something a little different in post-processing, so we have to make some adjustments for the first act."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm, how to explain this. Well, you know how tall Americans are on average, at least compared to us?" He asked her.

"Yes?" She cocked her head, wondering where he was going with this.

"So, in cinematography, visual storytelling is something that's always in play. Seems obvious, but that means when we're shooting a scene like this, ie, something that's supposed to be fraught with tension between people, we want to consider those kind of things and show the difference. A really good way to do that is to highlight an apparent difference, like height. It helps to visually explain how overpowering and discomforting the situation feels."

"Oh how interesting!" Kyoko said, excited to get a peek behind the curtain, so to speak.

"What's even more exciting, is something Takashi-san and Shingai-san just came up with earlier," said the crew-member, looking amused at her reaction.

"Oh, what was it?"

"They're going to edit Act 1 in post-processing so you never see Commander Taylor's face."

Kyoko stared, befuddled, "Wait, what?"

The crew-member laughed a little, "Apparently it came from an old joke about Tsuruga-san's height. We're adjusting the camera tracks right now, and Shingai-san already ran through Tsuruga-san's new blocking with him earlier. I must say, I'm excited to see how it'll look."

The crew-member turned his attention back to what the rest of them were doing, leaving Kyoko to her thoughts. After a moment however, her thoughts settled enough for her strengthen her resolve over how flawlessly she would act as Yayoi. Tsuruga-san would essentially be handicapped throughout the entire scene, as he would have to do his best acting only with his voice and his body language.

 _It seems he's always just that one step ahead,_ she thought agitatedly to herself. As she saw Kanae step onto set, however, she brushed away all thoughts about that. It was time for Ya-chan to shine.

Ya-chan and Mi-chan started the scene inside the club, at a table. The production team had hired a team of rotating musicians for the jazz club scenes throughout the production, so Kyoko and Kanae were able to enjoy some live music as the rest of the scene was set up. The scene was one wherein Mi-chan had invited Ya-chan out for a 'girls' night'. It was their first one after Ya-chan had gotten married, and so the characters had 'splurged' a little by going into Yokosuka to one of the fancier clubs. It was also one that was frequented by US troops, which was where Lieutenant Commander Jack Taylor came in.

In the story's timeline, it was set after Daisuke-san had accompanied Yoneda Michitada-sama into Tokyo on embassy business. So most of the dialogue for Ya-chan and Mi-chan was gossip about marriage and work, and then some worry on Ya-chan's side for her husband and father.

As it neared time for Ren to enter the scene, Kyoko found her focus sharpening in preparation.

Kyoko, as Yayoi, laughed a little in response to what Mi-chan was saying, "No, I'm sure Daisuke-san won't irritate otou-sama so much he'll make him walk back."

Mi-chan shot her a sly grin, "I don't know...it happened that one time last year-"

"Hey! They were just coming back from the shops in town then! Otou-sama is definitely not so mean that he'd make Daisuke-san do that coming back from Tokyo." Ya-chan giggled.

"Hmmm...what's that Yoneda-sama always says..'It builds character!'" The two of them dissolved into giggles again. A soft clearing of a throat interrupted them then.

Kyoko, as Yayoi, stilled as Ren stepped up to their table, and bowed a little, "Yamamoto-san, Akiyama-san, I did not anticipate seeing you at a club here in Yokosuka."

His face was politely inquisitive as he looked at them and Kyoko couldn't help but wonder if the sound guys had caught the inflection in his words well enough.

Kyoko smoothed her face into Yayoi's neutral mask as Mi-chan cheerfully answered for them both, "It's a special girls' night Commander-san."

"Ah, I see."

"And Commander-san, please refer to me as Yoneda-sama," Kyoko gently chided.

A worried look came over the commander's face and it was as apparent in his tone of voice, "Oh, oh I'm so sorry. I had heard that you and Yamamoto-san had tied the knot, as it were."

"Indeed we have, however, he entered into my family as he has none left of his own."

Another worried look, "Ah I see then. Will he be joining you shortly?"

Kanae, as Mi-chan piped up again, " _Girls'_ night Commander-san. Of course he won't."

"Ah yes, of course." Again, his tone of voice was as troubled as the look on his face. It would be a shame, Kyoko thought, that the camera's were avoiding his face, because he flicked his eyes from one group of soldiers to another, uneasiness easily communicated through his features.

Mi-chan spoke again, interested in what he was doing, "Commander-san? Why are you here? Is it your night off? Oh, but you're in uniform. Ah, a dinner break then?"

Yayoi subtly hid a smile behind her glass as she took a sip of water, her gaze amused as she looked between her very cheerful friend and the more somber features of the Commander.

While Kyoko knew that the Commander was there to root out some unsavory characters that people had put complaints in about, Yayoi simply thought that this was a lucky meeting, as she knew her friend was always interested in what the US troops did.

The Commander and Mi-chan's conversation continued a little longer, before a tussle broke out near the musicians in the corner and the Commander's features tightened up from where they'd slowly relaxed. Kyoko was observant enough to notice him crushing the rim of his uniform's cap with his grip as well. As he'd not made overly dramatic gestures, she was pretty sure that the crew must have brought in the camera guys whose sole job was to film small details such as that. _No wonder Shingai-san had a group of people he was instructing._ She imagined that adding in those details in post-processing was going to be difficult.

"I'm terribly sorry to cut your night short, but Yoneda-sama, Akiyama-san, if you wouldn't mind, please let me escort you home. These men...they have the tendency to be rowdy."

Mi-chan pouted but Ya-chan interrupted her before she could respond. Ya-chan slowly stood up, and looked up into the Commander's face, "While we appreciate that Commander-san, our driver from the inn can take us."

The Commander frowned down at her, "Yoneda-sama, please let me join you, it'd really put me more at ease if I knew you made it back safe."

She tilted her head slightly to the side as she studied him, "I see. Orders from my father then?"

Mi-chan made a surprised noise as the Commander cleared his throat, looked away and stepped back from her. "Yoneda-sama-"

Ya-chan cut in, "It's fine Commander-san, I'm used to it. Otou-sama is very leery about leaving his family behind when he goes into Tokyo, as I'm sure you know."

The Commander turned her way again, "While he did ask this of me Yoneda-sama, it was my personal choice to agree."

His tone of voice was gentle, and Ya-chan studied him for a moment longer before she turned to Mi-chan, "Come, we should return before that trombonist decides to join in on that fight."

She held her hand out to Mi-chan, and the two of them made for the door, the Commander right on their heels.

The clapperboard shutting ended the scene and Kyoko faintly heard Shingai shouting out various instructions to the crew about the sound, lighting, and camera-positioning. Before too long though, the three of them were cleared to step off the set and the scene declared a success.

Kanae flipped back her hair in it's high ponytail as the makeup crew scurried around her to make their adjustments. "Well," Kanae started, "It seems this commander role suits you well Tsuruga-san."

He laughed a little, "I won't take all the credit for that. You two were absolutely wonderful together, and I felt that if I didn't bring my all, I'd be washed out next to you two." He sent them both a smile. There were was quiet moment where Kanae and Kyoko tried to process that compliment. But then, Ren spoke again, looking a little embarassed.

"I did want to apologize for my behavior earlier, however. Did I tease too much to be forgiven?"

Kanae's eyebrows raised and Kyoko stared between them, wondering at this dynamic while the makeup crew shuffled off to see to the others on set, "That's up to Kyoko, not me." Kanae said.

Ren turned to her, face expectant, but all Kyoko could do was send him a distracted smile. Wardrobe had given him hazel-colored contacts, and had lightened his hair considerably. Close up in this light, she could very clearly see the Kuon that was hiding beneath the surface of Tsuruga Ren.

"Well," he prodded, "Did I tease too much earlier, or am I forgiven?"

Kyoko shot a quick glance to Kanae as she remembered her advice from earlier. As best as she was able, she stuffed down all her unwieldy emotions to return Ren's teasing look.

"So long as you forgive me for not greeting you, I'll forgive the teasing."

Her heart couldn't help it though; it pounded ever faster as Ren shot her his brilliant smile. He stepped closer and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"That's good. I'd feel just _awful_ if my very dear friend, who I _missed_ _terribly_ couldn't forgive me my teasing."

Kyoko's gaze narrowed as she stared him down, "Is that so?"

"Oh yes," He nodded, humor lurking in his eyes, and she hoped to all the gods out there that he didn't pull out his puppy-dog eyes.

"Well just in case then, you should do something nice for me."

A satisfied smile spread over his face and Kyoko wondered if that's what he'd planned all along to get her to agree to.

"I'd be pleased to do so Mogami-san."

Kyoko sent Moko-san a long-suffering look, and was absolutely gobsmacked to see Kanae hiding a smile. Kanae shot her a wink when she noticed Kyoko looking her way and mouthed, 'Well done.'

Kyoko blushed at the praise, but as she sneaked another glance at Ren as someone on the set grabbed his attention, she couldn't help but smile.

…

Well, this is the first part of Whichever Way the River Flows. I hope people enjoyed it. Any feedback is welcome!

One small note for the Yumika/Yayoi fight. Yayoi is the sort to hang onto her father's every word. So, much of what she says is what she's heard him say. Yumika is a decent amount older than Yayoi, and had experiences in the war the Yayoi didn't. Both of their stances come from those places, and this was a common thing to happen between the young teenage generation in Japan at the time, and the those that were older. I doubt that this would come up elsewhere, it would just be already known context for the audience, so I wanted to make that clear.

Regards,

artsy


	2. Chapter 2

What is this, an update after only about two weeks? Perish the thought! (I maybe posting pre-betaing just because I'm so excited ehehehe)

Fun fact, Mo Lowda and the Humble's album _Curse the Weather_ inspired a great deal of this chapter, so listening to it while reading would be a fun activity.

...

Kyoko didn't wake slowly, nor suddenly. It was simply as if she had been dreaming, and then she simply knew she no longer was. As she fought for true wakefulness, a faint dream lingered on the edges of her consciousness. She grasped for it, only to get faint flashes: sunlight through trees, the sound of water, and the smell of freshly tilled earth.

Frustrated, and vaguely unsettled, Kyoko sat up in her bed, and rubbed at her eyes as she yawned. She stretched, casting a sleepy eye around the room and noticed the faint light coming in through the window. It was still early morning, so she must have woken before her alarm went off.

She ran a hand through her tousled hair and made sure to turn her alarm off before it could bother Moko-san. They'd not exactly planned to wake together, and Kyoko wanted to be considerate just in case Kanae was trying to sleep in that day. As she glanced over at her roommate, she couldn't help but smile. Kanae was twisted up in her sheets, one hand flung out dramatically, but for all intents and purposes, it was as elegantly done as everything she did while awake.

Fondness bubbled up in Kyoko as she took in the sight. Being able to have sleepovers with Kanae always seemed like a special treat. Rooming with her for an extended period seemed even more special. Almost as if, in all their times as friends, they'd manage to grow closer. Perhaps close enough to where Kanae could consider her, Kyoko, part of her family. It was a thought Kyoko liked to entertain, but privately, where no one knew.

With one more stretch, Kyoko padded over to the balcony, and quietly opened the door. As she inhaled deeply, she caught the scene of rain in the air, and an expectant heaviness in the atmosphere. She closed the balcony door behind her as she walked over to the railing to get a better look at the sky. She'd not checked the forecast since a couple days before, and hadn't realized a storm was brewing.

As she peered up thoughtfully, she figured they'd probably not catch the rain until later on in the day. It wasn't too cloudy yet. With Kyoko's curiosity satisfied, she turned her attention back to her weird wake-up. She pondered it, but got no closer to an answer; only gained too-vague half thoughts.

Kyoko sighed as she leaned on the railing of the balcony. Perhaps it was how she'd woken up, or the contemplative mood overcast days always put her in, but old memories were filtering into her brain that she'd mostly forgotten. She wondered if it was also an effect of growing older. Did you grow more reflective the more adult you felt? She certainly felt like more of an adult than anything else these days. She knew she had a bit more time before she was truly an adult all on her own, considering as she'd not even be turning eighteen for a few more months. Yet, the more work she took on, the more she planned past her high school graduation, the closer she felt to being an adult.

Often, this train of thought made her think of when she was younger. She remembered the Fuwa Okami-san speaking to her younger self about helping take care of the Fuwa Inn garden. And she remembered how it'd felt working outside in it right after a storm. She couldn't remember why they had, perhaps they'd had a prestigious visitor, but she remembered the smell of petrichor, the humidity of the air, and the feel of damp earth.

Kyoko inhaled deep again, relishing in both the feeling and in the memory. And she remembered also, running into a forest during a terrible storm, searching for her prince. Once more, that unsettled feeling returned. She turned it over in her mind, trying her best to look at it objectively, to truly understand what she felt.

After a few moments of thought, the best she had was that her sleepy mind was connecting dots she'd rather it didn't. Remembering Corn, (as he had been with his bright laughter and the sun hitting his golden hair until it glowed) in that setting seemed almost always more fantasy than reality. She'd been so young when they'd met, that half the time she'd tried to seriously consider what it'd been like, she'd been nearly convinced that she'd magicked him up in her mind as a coping mechanism.

"But that's not the truth, hm?" Kyoko asked herself quietly.

No, the truth was, Kuon was very real. His kindness was real, his maturity, his teasing, his ideals, his passion; all of it was very, very real. And it was exhilarating. Terrifying, but exhilarating. But the Kuon of today was so beyond the memories of her prince Corn, she didn't really know what to think of it yet.

"You grew up so big and strong, you know?" Kyoko imagined a little prince Corn perching on her balcony railing and cocking his head at her inquisitively. She smiled at the thought.

"Truly. I wonder sometimes, about the possibility of going back in time and letting you know." She imagined herself patting his little prince Corn head. "You do fly and you do amazing things. Just you wait and see."

It was but a flight of fancy, Kyoko knew. That didn't stop her imagination from wandering, however. But she grew more serious and she bit her lip.

"Corn, I am sorry you know. I wish, well, I guess I don't know what I wish. We've said before that it was what we've had to overcome that have made us who we are today. That we wouldn't regret it. And I guess I don't." Kyoko sighed but she knew how she truly felt, why she'd been unsettled when she woke. "I'm leaving Prince Corn to my imagination and my memories now."

She stared out at the sky, heart heavy as she quietly said this to herself, "I think I'm strong enough now." She closed her eyes as she leaned against the railing, "I am sorry, but there are people that are very precious to me these days. And they need my strength. I gained my strength from you, and I think it's time for me to repay that a little. Thank you, for everything."

The air felt very still as leaned there against the railing. She sighed, opened her eyes and realized her fantastical imagination had left her alone in her thoughts. Kyoko laughed a little as looked out over lush greenery, a sleepy town, and a mountain in the distance.

"Yeah," she whispered as the wind picked up for a second before it settled again, heavy and expectant, "Yeah, I thought you might agree."

She admired the scenery for a while longer, relishing in the quiet, before she was interrupted by some sounds below her. It sounded as if someone else was stepping out on a patio to enjoy the early morning. She knew cast and crew were on both levels of the building, and nearly all of them had access to either a balcony or a patio, so she figured she might know them. Sure enough, she felt a hint of surprise as a familiar figure indeed stepped out below her where she could see him. She was a little entertained at such a coincidence as she thought back to her imaginings of how she might have magicked him up.

Ren yawned, stretched, and scratched at the back of his head in such a familiarly lazy gesture that she couldn't stifle her giggles. Unfortunately, it seemed that it drifted down to him, and Ren stilled, looking around in curiosity.

Kyoko held her breath to keep quiet so she didn't interrupt his thoughts. After a moment though, she was unable to repress her urge to tease some more. She hooted like an owl and giggled again as he turned completely around trying to figure out where it was coming from. He finally caught sight of her and an adorable smile filled his features.

"Well, now that's a sight to see first thing in the morning." His voice was still husky from sleep and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good morning Ren. Did you sleep well?" Kyoko was proud that her voice was strong and it didn't waver.

"It certainly is a good morning now. And yes, I slept just fine. And you?"

Kyoko, thankfully, was able to duck a little so he couldn't see her blush, "Yes, it was fine. I like rooming with Moko-san."

A familiar teasing glint appeared in Ren's gaze, "Well, now I'm jealous. Didn't you like rooming with your nii-san?"

Kyoko frowned down at him, "Hey! It's not fair of you to just bring that up so out of the blue. Be more considerate of where we are."

Kyoko eyed him, a little peeved as his expression just grew more devilish. Ren bowed deeply and then spoke in a voice full of amusement, "My dearest apologies my fair princess."

A flush suffused her face, and she ducked behind the railing again, hoping to hide her reaction.

"O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious-"

"Ren! You did not just-!" Ren let out a loud laugh as Kyoko popped back up over the railing to send him a fearsome scowl.

"Though she be but little, she be fierce!" Ren's voice was still rich in amusement as he called up to her with this new quote.

Kyoko searched her brain for a way to respond so he didn't keep getting one over her. She smirked a little as it came to her. Straightening up and leaning against the railing, she tossed her hair in a fair imitation of haughtiness and said,

"Tongue, lose thy light, moon take thy flight, now die, die, die, _die_." Kyoko cut a glance down at him to see how he responded. She was satisfied to see Ren sending an admiring glance her way. He bowed again and smiled up at her.

"Well played, fair princess."

Kyoko sniffed a little and tossed her hair again, playing up the haughtiness and she heard him chuckle.

"Well then," Ren said, "I've got a little time, and if you do as well, may I do that something nice for you and escort you into breakfast?"

Kyoko was a little startled by the suggestion, before she remembered what she'd asked of him a couple days ago. She sent him a shy smile back and nodded. Ren surprised her by opening up his arms.

"Well, come here." Kyoko stared at him in confusion before he gestured again and it finally clicked.

"I am _not_ about to jump down there," she hissed down at him, alarmed.

Ren grinned, "It's maybe seven or eight feet. You're not scared are you?"

"I haven't even brushed my hair! And besides, I'm not about to go endangering myself!"

"Hopping from a balcony into my arms is endangering you? Don't you trust me?"

"What?! Of course I do! But this is far too reckless." Kyoko scolded. Ren remained stubbornly childish and he gestured again with his arms.

"I can promise that it'll be ok. Wouldn't it be fun to start the day doing something a little daring?" Ren raised a brow in challenge, and Kyoko's feathers grew more ruffled when he did so.

She peered down at him, studying the distance for a moment. She was then surprised to hear Moko-san's voice at her shoulder.

"You did more as a ninja then this. Where'd your courage go?" Kyoko's head swiveled around and she stared in surprise at her friend.

"Moko-san! I didn't realize you'd woken up."

"Well, there was a manzai duo pair hollering at each other, it was inevitable." Kanae's dry voice caused Kyoko to flush in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry Moko-san." Kyoko said in a small voice and Moko-san rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You gonna go, or just leave him standing there like an idiot? Either option entertains me."

"Moko-san!" Kyoko said, scandalized, "That's too reckless, right?!"

Kanae face-palmed in exasperation before she stepped out near the railing and called down to Ren, "Hey! Make sure to catch her. Here she comes."

She then proceeded to grab Kyoko around her back and beneath her knees, and lifted her up nearly effortlessly. Kyoko squawked at her manhandling.

"Moko-san!"

"You're not the only one who's kept up their training," said Kanae as she rolled her eyes. She lifted Kyoko up over the railing, and called back down to Ren, who looked far too entertained, "Here she comes."

Kyoko nearly swallowed her own tongue in surprise as she dropped quickly and in less then five seconds, was ensconced safely in Ren's arms. Her own arm curled behind his neck for stability and she stared between Ren's amused face and Kanae's gentle smile.

"That wasn't too bad, hm?" Ren asked her quietly and Kyoko blushed but shook her head.

"Not too bad, I guess."

He set her down, and tousled her hair a little, "Good, shall we?" He gestured towards the direction of the dining hall and she nodded along, carefully studying the ground.

"Well, ain't that the cutest thing." Nick's voice came from the direction of Ren's room, surprising them a little, and Kyoko's head popped back up in concern. She'd finally met Nick the day before, and wasn't too sure of him yet. But the expression on his face as he leaned against the door-frame of their patio was amused, and didn't seem to be unkind.

"Nick." said Ren with a nod that Nick returned. Ren tossed a comforting arm around Kyoko's shoulder and drew her down the path towards the hall.

"Don't worry about him," Ren reassured her as Kanae and Nick waved them off from their respective places, "He likes to tease, but he's not mean about it."

Kyoko cleared her throat a little so she could respond despite how flustered she still felt, "It's fine. In any case, it's not like the recklessness was _my_ fault."

She stared Ren down as he tried to smother another amused smile, "Quite so, quite so."

Unbeknownst to them, off in the distance, thunder rolled.

…

Takimoto Misaki was scouting out a good place to take some photos of flowers outside the building where they were rooming, when she stumbled upon an interesting scene. She'd just finished lunch, and had a pretty free afternoon before she needed to be on set again. She was taking this opportunity to add some pictures to her collection. An overcast day was a great time to do it, or so her photography teacher had informed her and the rest of her class. She was eager to test out the idea.

Those thoughts left her though, when she realized that Kotonami Kanae, Mogami Kyoko, and one Tsuruga Ren were out on one of the patios. She shuffled back around the corner of the building, as she didn't want to interrupt their quiet conversation. (And perhaps, maybe overhear something interesting).

She heard a quiet laugh and then heard Tsuruga say, "No, no. Not them. No, this is Mo Lowda-".

Misaki furrowed her brow, trying to decipher the English that had been at the end of what he was saying but she couldn't quite catch it all. She peeked back out around the corner and saw Kanae consulting a script as she leaned against the building, apparently paying them no mind while Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san continued to discuss something in English. As much as she stretched out her memory to try to follow what they were saying, they spoke it too quick.

She was about to give it up after another few minutes, before she heard steps crunching along the gravel of the landscape near the building behind her. She looked back over her shoulder to see behind her, and saw Noa and Jin strolling along, looking back at her curiously.

In warning, she placed a finger to her lips so they wouldn't speak. She turned and studied the scene about twenty feet from her once more and felt them stop shortly behind her.

"What are you doing?" She heard Noa whisper.

"Spying." She answered. The three of them had taken lunch together a few times now, and she was comfortable enough with them to tell the truth.

"Spying on what?" asked Jin.

"Our stars, naturally."

She was crouched around the corner near the flowers, and felt the pair of them shuffle a little closer to peer around the corner too.

She heard Noa sigh, "Kotonami-san is always pretty, isn't she?" Then, his voice raised a little as he let out, "Ow!"

Misaki stifled a laugh as Jin must have smacked Noa one. When he spoke up, Jin's voice was slightly scolding.

"That's what you get from this? Honestly. Aren't you more interested in how well Kyoko-san speaks English?"

Noa and Jin must have shoved each other a little as Misaki found herself having to restabilize her crouch. She forced a hand between the pair and hissed in warning, "Knock it off. We don't want them to know we're here, you idiots."

Guilty looks came across their faces and they mumbled apologies.

"Jin-san, what are they saying exactly? They're speaking it too fast for me to follow."

Jin and Noa quieted so they could hear better. Noa spoke after a little while, "They're talking about an album from a band Tsuruga-san likes. Don't recognize it though. He might like indie music? I'm a bit of a music nerd so it's rare for me not to know."

Misaki looked at him thoughtfully, "Wait, are you guys immigrants? I thought you guys just spoke English well."

Noa shook his head, "My Mom's Japanese, but my family and I are actually from Hawaii. She moved there when she was a teenager. I'm just here on a work visa, so to speak."

"Huh." She turned her look on Jin, who shrugged.

"Nissei here too. We're both American."

"Oh, alright then. Well, that does make your casting make more sense." Misaki said eventually.

"Yeah, Tsuruga-san cast us for that reason." Something about that struck Misaki-san strangely.

"Wait, how did he know you?"

Noa and Jin glanced at each other, and shrugged, "R'Mandy modeling."

Misaki thought that over for a moment as she studied the trio out on the patio. Kyoko-san said something that made Tsuruga-san toss his head back and laugh. It was a cute scene to come across and she caught herself smiling along. Something was tickling her mind though. Why he'd been part of casting at all, which she knew from her research was unheard of before now. Why he'd been cast in the role of an American Lieutenant Colonel, and why he was so comfortable speaking English as he was now.

Now that she had more than one unusual piece, the puzzle quickly formed a more complete picture.

"He must be American too. It's the only thing that makes sense really. I wonder why he's so private about it." Misaki wondered aloud.

Behind her, Noa and Jin exchanged another glance.

"A lot of reasons to be private about it." Jin spoke up. "He's got a certain reputation in the business. Maybe the typical stereotype doesn't fit his image. Or, people have discriminated against him when they've known. I could go on."

Misaki winced, "Ah, yes, well." She stood suddenly, discomfited, and dusted off her hands.

"Well," She redirected, "I must be off. There's an assignment from my professor I need to get to." Misaki smiled brightly and hurried away, hoping her discomfort had been hidden well enough. A guilty feeling of taking her prying and curiosity too far threatened to take over, but she shoved it down deep. So long as she stopped that behavior, and left it alone, there would be nothing she should feel guilty over.

…

 _We found such joy in our family and in our home, and we strived to remain focused inward, on them, as outwardly, the world continued to grow ever more fraught and dangerous. I noticed it first at my university, as less and less students were able to enroll and graduate in my field. I thought to myself then, what a shame, all those bright minds going uncultivated._

 _I was foolish. I had no idea yet what was to come. Our leaders had promised you see, promised us that they would win us everlasting glory. I had thought it normal, the belief that the world slowly spun out of control as you got older and are better able to realize everything going wrong._

 _Little did I know the truth then._

 _It is typical for things to change as your children grow up. In some instances, you are forced to change. What we went through, it is hard to describe. And you think it normal at the time. That every generation has its burden to bear._

 _But what of my children? What of the world we are leaving to them? I am older now, and too tired now to retain my anger at the disservices done to us. I can no longer think of that without bitterly resenting the burdens we brought to bear on ourselves. No, it is better to think of my children, of what I can do to help them before I am gone._

Ren watched with interest as the editing team spliced together miscellaneous footage for Yoneda-sensei's narration to run over. He'd been curious when Kyoko had mentioned being impressed by Kawaguchi-san's gravitas when speaking it in the voice-over booth and had wanted to to experience it himself.

She'd been right. Kawaguchi-san's impressive narration was going to be the perfect hook to bring in a certain demographic. Ren imagined Shingai and Takashi had planned it for exactly that reason. Especially his ending narration. At the end of the first act, in a twist no one would see coming as it was primarily a fictitious action, the embassy detail that would include Yoneda-sensei and Yoneda Yayoi's husband was to be ambushed by Communist spies. They would plant an explosive in one of their vehicles and then attack in the chaos that ensued. Yoneda-sensei would die protecting Yayoi's husband, in the reverse of an action that Officer Yamamoto took to protect Yoneda-sensei earlier in the episode.

Ren watched as they looped that footage again and tried overlaying more of the monologue with it. They'd been able to shoot that scene the previous day, and so far there was no need for reshoots. Ren was thankful, he had to do a scene with Kawaguchi-san that'd been pushed aside when the permissions to use the location that allowed explosive special effects had come through. Seeing the footage with the dialogue made both parts doubly impactful, and Ren once more appreciated how special this story was.

 _I look around, and I know, undoubtedly, that these men are not my enemy. They are but a symptom of a corrupt and avaricious disease. My beliefs were shattered many years ago. They were twisted and defiled and forced into a shape not of my making. I look around, and I do not see enemies. I see only people, morality twisted beyond recognition. It is not fair. It is not right._

 _I can only pray that the future holds something better than what I have left behind._

The footage the editing team had picked for final sentences of the narration was quiet, with a close-up of Kawaguchi staring out at the enemy, resignation mixed with despair on his face. It transitioned into some shots of men trying to flee the scene, or trying to get to where Kawaguchi-san was positioned in a protective curl over Officer Yamamoto's body. As the script had elaborated, the officer had been trying to grab Yoneda-sensei, but the sensei had heard the beeping of the explosive about to go off, and had instead hurled himself over the officer as he'd come near. The stuntmen at the scene when it'd been shot yesterday had timed that exceptionally well. And that was the primary reason for why there were no reshoots to be done so far for it.

The scene that ended the episode, however, had yet to be decided. But Ren knew he was partial to the shot that showed Kawaguchi-san's hand reaching out to the fallen enemy that had been caught in the blast of the explosive, trying to cross the chasm between them even in death. In Ren's mind, it was a fitting end to the lawyer/college professor turned diplomat.

Ren's phone buzzed, breaking him free of his thoughts. That was his timer letting him know he needed to get to makeup and wardrobe for the work he had coming up. He quietly thanked the editing team for letting him sit in while they worked and then hurried off.

After wardrobe cleared him as ready, he was off to the Inn set that he and Kawaguchi-san would be working in for most of the afternoon and evening. He greeted the other actor, and the older man returned it with a smile before returning his attention to his script. Ren was curious, but maintained his patience until the other actor set it aside.

"Kawaguchi-san. Do you mind satisfying my curiosity a little?" Ren asked him quietly.

"Looks like lighting it still being adjusted, so sure thing. I think we've got a moment."

"Much appreciated. Ah, I was a little leery about the narration some of us had. Um, I just got to hear yours, and I was really impressed. But, well, I guess I'm not so confident about mine. I could use some advice I think."

Kawaguchi looked him over thoughtfully for a moment. "What are you not confident about?"

Ren thought back to the documents he'd received just that morning. "I think I like the words themselves, but my tone of voice when I recited them to myself isn't hitting the right notes to me."

"Hmm, how did they make you feel?"

"Mostly, it just inspired a sense of despair. I know the Commander is depressed through most of this series, and I understand why. But the point of his role is to grow from that state of mind into something that resembles healing and hope. I think it's more that part of it that frustrates me."

Kawaguchi propped his chin up on his hand as he spoke, "You might just be thinking too logically about it. You need to feel the differences from the beginning to the end. Commander Taylor feels lost, and set adrift. That is apparent even in this scene we're about to do."

He was quiet for a moment as Ren thought about that. Kawaguchi then spoke again, "Even as he feels that, his path gets darker before it gets lighter, and it's only at the end when he decides enough is enough. Can you feel that yet?"

Ren folded his hands and stared down at them with a frown. He supposed he hadn't. Had he been thinking so much of the big picture that he'd forgotten to remember to feel the delicate nuance? He wouldn't put it past him. Eventually, Ren looked back up at Kawaguchi-san.

"Thank you Kawaguchi-san. You're as wise as Yoneda-sensei I think."

Kawaguchi chuckled, "Well, they didn't just cast me for my good looks."

That sparked a bark of unexpected laughter from Ren. The two then turned to less heavy topics until they were called onto set.

The scene they were to do was a scene chronologically set in the first act, right before Yoneda-sensei and Officer Yamamoto went to the embassy in Tokyo for the last time. This scene just wouldn't been seen in the series until the second act. Yoneda-sensei and Commander Taylor, in the commander's time near Mt. Oguso, had cobbled together something of an oddball friendship around their mutual enjoyment of philosophy and the classics. When Commander Taylor was off duty, he sometimes took his dinner at the inn, so he and the sensei could discuss things as they liked.

Ren settled into the proper position at the table in the room on the Inn set, and pulled on the cloak of Lieutenant Commander Jack Taylor. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep as he gathered the last vestiges of Jack.

When Shingai called action, he settled himself into a more relaxed position, as if he'd already drunk a few cupfuls of sake after dinner.

"Now what I don't understand, Commander-san, is how you know Camus. Of course I do, I was a professor, but how did you come across him?" Kawaguchi-san, as Yoneda-sensei asked.

Jack slouched a little more and shrugged, "Except for a couple others I keep close, I mostly keep to myself. Books are relaxing, and enthralling."

Kawaguchi-san, as Yoneda-sensei, shook his head and spoke almost absentmindedly, "Always there comes an hour when one is weary of one's work and devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart."

"I'm not quite so far gone as all that sensei." Jack shot him a playful frown.

The other man waved him off, "Bah. You young things like to appear so put-together these days. So focused on the work. Whatever happened to relaxation and the warmth of a loving home?"

Jack stilled, grief crossing his face that the sensei seemed to catch. The older man stared at him from under a furrowed brow, concerned, but knowing that he'd stepped on an old pain. Yoneda-sensei cleared his throat and spoke again, "Well nevermind all that. What's been a favorite quote of yours from something you've read recently?"

Jack's face seemed to lighten and he thought for a second, then said, "Well, you can certainly ask that, but I am determined for us to continue our discussion of the _Odyssey_ sometime tonight."

Yoneda-sensei chuckled but nodded in agreement. Jack shot him an amused glance, then spoke, "A man sometimes devotes his life to a desire which he is not sure will ever be fulfilled. Those who laugh at this folly are, after all, no more than mere spectators of life."

A smile crossed the sensei's face, "You've started reading Akutagawa then?"

"Yes. It's been an interesting read."

"I imagine so." The sensei said. Then his face grew more serious. "Commander-san, I have appreciated our varied discussion topics, and our many interactions that have dealt with our politics and the like, and I feel as if this might be ok to ask of you."

Jack studied his somber countenance, and straightened up to give the older man his full attention. "Certainly Yoneda-sensei. Feel free to ask what you like."

…

Kyoko had gotten to set in time to witness some of the scene between Kawaguchi-san and Tsuruga-san before she was also called onto the set. She appreciated this, as she was curious about how those two acted against each other. She was not disappointed as she analyzed how well they played off each other. It made her all the more eager to act against Ren again as Shingai called cut on the men's scene together, and she was hurried to the place where she was to enter.

She quickly got into Yayoi's mindset as Ren retook his place on the set. Ren and her were only able to exchange a quick smile before Director Shingai called action. She didn't mind though, this scene was, by far, something she wanted her full focus on.

Lieutenant Commander Jack Taylor stood as Yoneda Michitada dismissed him and they said their cordial goodbyes after discussing what he'd wanted about Homer's _Odyssey_. And Jack made sure to keep close to heart Yoneda-sensei's request. He should do the man no less than what the sensei deserved, he felt. Many a long night they had whiled away over sake, and debating western and eastern philosophy. Jack could confidently say, aside from Lieutenant Burnham, he probably had no one else he could comfortably discuss such topics with while he was stationed here. He was grateful to have found a kindred spirit.

Ren, acting as Jack, gently closed the room's doors behind him, turned, and barely stifled a soft exclamation of surprise. Yoneda Yayoi stood near the door, rather close to him. She was dressed as casually as he had ever seen her, and from the looks of it, she perhaps might have been coming back from the baths. She held a ribbon in one hand and it appeared that she'd paused from undoing the ribbon from her other braid. Jack swallowed hard as his eyes roamed over her features, absorbing every aspect of them with a fascinated abandon he couldn't quite keep under control, from her unruly hair to her piercing gaze.

Jack bowed a little in her direction, "Yoneda-sama."

She surprised him by answering him in English, "I caught the end of Homer through the door. You know the _Odyssey_?"

"Oh, ah, yes. Now that's one tale that's kind of been a faithful, life-long companion for me. Your father has been kind enough to let me discuss things like that with him, when I'm off duty and have the time." He shot her a faint smile that she returned.

"I see. Ever the hard-working and loyal officer?" If Jack didn't know better, he'd say she was teasing him a little. He glanced down at her, subtly trying to tell without her noticing, but she caught him and her lips twitched a little, the corner of her mouth curling up in amusement. Ren recognized the familiar look on Kyoko's face, but made sure to keep ironclad control over his Jack character.

Jack swallowed hard to see such an expression on her face, but hurried to agree before she realized. "Yes, as best as I can, I strive for that ideal."

Yayoi tilted her head a little, and she spoke softly, "...'Much have I toiled in the perils of waves and war; let this be added to the tales of those'."

Jack's eyes widened as she quoted the _Odyssey_ , her inflection precise and perfect. The sweeping feeling of meeting another kindred soul left him breathless and he could only croak out a stunned response, his voice raspy.

"And if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep, even so, I shall endure." A delighted look crossed her face, and it left Jack feeling shaky. Ren could sympathize.

Jack tried to hide the trembling of his fingertips that wanted to reach out and see if she was truly real, and made of flesh and bone, same as he.

Yayoi spoke again, "I suppose it does make sense for a naval officer to admire the _Odyssey._ I like to think you had to write about in your special officer's school, or something to that effect."

The gentle humor she was so comfortable expressing, now made Jack see her in an entirely different light. It made him want to touch, rather than just admire a fragile and distant beauty. He curled his hands tight to stop himself, and ducked his head again.

"Sorry to disappoint Yoneda-sama, the academy was nothing so interesting as that."

"Their loss I suppose." He caught another slight smile from her and shyly returned it. They murmured soft goodbyes and then turned away from each other to continue on their paths, her up the stairs to their sleeping quarters, and he to the exit. As he passed her though, Yayoi stopped him with a soft,

"Commander-san?"

"Yoneda-sama?"

"If the _Odyssey_ has been such a faithful companion to you for so long, than what of your Penelope? Is she out there, awaiting your return?"

Yayoi studied him thoughtfully, peeking up at him in far too close quarters for him to be comfortable with. Jack stepped away from her, swallowed, and looked away. There was a heavy moment of silence and he almost immediately regretted not answering.

She sighed, and he felt the air shift as she went ahead around him.

"My apologies Commander-san, for asking too personal of a question."

There was a subtly hurt note in Yayoi's voice that Jack could pick out, and he found himself speaking, disregarding how reckless it was.

"No. No, I have no Penelope." He bit his lip as he stared determinedly at the floor so as to avoid her gaze burning in between his shoulder blades.

"Well. That…that's very unfortunate indeed, Commander-san. My apologies for prying." Yayoi's gentle voice had him turning around so she could see his sincerity herself as he talked.

"No, no it's fine, I promise. It's natural to be curious after all." Jack wondered if that was as reassuring as he wanted it to be. He gazed at her in concern, but Yayoi only smiled back, and he could not fathom what else might have been on her mind.

"I leave you to it then, Commander. You've been very kind to indulge my curiosity." Yayoi bowed a little in politeness, which he returned.

"Of course Yoneda-sama." He stayed there, staring at the wood grain of the floor until he heard her footsteps on the stairs to the second level and felt it safe to look back up.

One small detail caught Jack's eye as he straightened back up though. A yellow ribbon, innocently resting on the bottom step of the stairwell. He slowly walked over, hesitantly taking it from the floor and running it through his fingers as he looked back up at where Yayoi had gone, more intrigued by it then he would admit, even out loud to himself.

Almost hypnotized by the implication, Jack raised it to his face, and a whiff of her shampoo or her soap lingered on it. Inadvertently, the ribbon was crushed as his hand curled into a fist over it as he cursed himself in his mind. But, still, he did not release the ribbon. Jack let his eyes fall shut, and breathed deep of Yayoi's scent, unable to stop himself.

Jack's eyes popped open wide though, as a noise startled him. He found himself stuffing the ribbon in his uniform pocket, hoping beyond hope that no one had just seen him. He strode for the door, intent on leaving as soon as possible and got his answer as the staff member that closed the inn up shuffled in, yawning, his storage crates banging about. The guy waved at him sleepily and Jack nodded at him in return.

"Ah, Commander Taylor-san. Did Yoneda-sensei turn in for the night then?"

"Indeed. And so, I'm off. See you again soon, I'm sure." Jack brushed past him, trying to maintain a thin veneer of politeness as the staff member returned his farewell.

As he cleared the inn porch though, Jack couldn't help but let his hand linger over his uniform pocket protectively. Something deep inside him recognized the ribbon for what is was, a precious and irreplaceable talisman. And he would keep it safe for as long as he could.

Ren paused there, waiting for some sign from Director Shingai, and the scene was cleared as the clapperboard snapped shut and the Director called, "Cut!"

Then, Shingai spoke again, "Kyoko-san, Ren-kun, to me please."

Kyoko sent Ren a curious look that he returned, but they stepped over to the Director's side.

He clapped a hand on each of their shoulders, "Ren-kun, Kyoko-san. I just feel a need to reiterate here."

There was a long pause and Kyoko and Ren looked at each other in concern.

"You two are like _firecrackers_. How do you do it?! I mean, you impressed me with the scene at the jazz club, and with how careful you two were in the teaching scenes, but truly..."

Director Shingai paused for a moment as he looked the pair of them over. They were absolutely on fire, and he knew that they were spinning the story into something that very closely resembled gold. Shingai huffed out a laugh, then let out a stream of compliments that left Ren and Kyoko blushing fiercely. To their relief however, the assistant director was able to grab his attention after a few minutes so they could move on.

Once the Director's back was turned though, Kyoko and Ren exchanged smiles of victory and bumped their fists together.

…

Ren yawned as he plugged in one earbud into his ear and flipped on his music. It was becoming a routine for him to take a jog every night before he went to bed. There was a high level of privacy around their little encampment here on location, so he was rarely bothered unless it was by other cast or crew. It was kind of nice to get into such a habit so he could relax before bed and not be up all hours of the night. With the harsh physical training he was undergoing for the shooting, it had become imperative that he had a more regulated sleep schedule.

 _And it lets me turn off my brain, which can only do me some good so I'll stop fretting so much over one kouhai in particular. Will I ever get an answer over the Atsushi thing?_ His aggrieved train of thought was pushed aside as he stepped out of his and Nick's room and focused on some quick stretching before he began his light jog out into the night. The storm had yet to break, so he assumed he had some time to spare for an outside run.

He had found that this particular playlist was very helpful in maintaining his focus so he could pace himself well, as the music set him in just the right rhythm. It wasn't until he rounded a corner about ten minutes later and stumbled upon Director Shingai himself that he realized he'd just been lapping the housing facility they were in.

"Ren-kun, I thought you'd have turned in by now," Shingai looked him over, curiosity lighting his features.

"Ah yeah, this is just my daily jog time, then I'm headed to a shower, then bed."

"I see. So the training is going well then?" Shingai asked.

"Yes sir. Turning in late yourself?"

Shingai sighed, "Yes, I didn't anticipate how much editing I was going to do this evening. I started out by just looking some things over and then well, I look at the clock and it's three hours later."

Ren tried to hold in his amusement as he watched the director shake his head and sigh. The two of them ambled into the building as they chatted a little more while Ren wiped at the sweat that had accumulated during his jog. While summer had left it's high temperatures behind in the previous weeks, the heaviness of the humidity of the season was still having an effect.

"But I tell you what, I'm having the damnedest time trying to pick the young Taylor kid. The casting calls from the American base and the town we're near have been pretty helpful, but you know, I just wanted this particular look…" Shingai was saying and Ren stopped when a thought suddenly struck him.

"Sir, do you know why I picked the Taylor role? Or did Takashi-san just inform you that I had?" Ren asked and Shingai stopped next to a water fountain to think for a second. Ren took that opportunity to lean down and get a drink. As he was wiping his mouth dry, Shingai finally responded.

"You know, I don't think anyone told me why, I was just relieved casting had gotten that much easier. I'd just met Miura-san over the interpreter Tanaka role, and was relieved that I could actually offer it to him."

Ren winced as he remembered how difficult he'd been for the casting team earlier in the summer. He cleared his throat some and wiped at his face with his towel again, his stomach tightening a little from nerves. As Shingai studied him carefully, Ren sighed. He couldn't stall forever when he'd been the one to bring it up.

"Here, follow me will you? There's something I should show you." Shingai murmured his assent as Ren started walking back to his room, the director following close behind.

He entered, relieved to see Nick must still be out, and pulled out his wallet from his bag while Shingai looked amusedly at one neatly tidied side of the room, and a horrendously untidy half. Ren couldn't stand mess, but Nick didn't particularly care. But, they got on well enough for it to not be an issue.

Ren tapped his wallet nervously against the palm of his hand, "So, that locket that my character has, it's supposed to have a picture inside right? Have you picked one yet?"

The question seemed to throw Shingai for a loop and he frowned a little, "Well, we're not shooting those scenes for a couple weeks yet, so I hadn't thought much of it. Was mostly just letting the Creative Director and the wardrobe staff handle it. Why?"

Ren forced himself to quit tapping his wallet nervously and looked away from Shingai's shrewd gaze before he said, "Look, this role means a lot to me, and for reasons I don't particularly want to get into in depth. But, here."

He flipped the wallet open, and gently pried out a small two-by-three inch photo from it's innermost pocket. The edges were worn and the picture itself had some creasing, as if it had been folded many different ways, opened to be looked at and then folded up, over and over again. But the image was still clear; a young boy sitting on his father's lap, with his father holding one of his hands, while a beautiful blonde mother was tucked in close to the pair of them, the father's other arm around her waist and her holding the boy's other hand. They were beautiful, and frozen in time in a moment of spontaneous joy underneath a cherry blossom tree.

Ren silently handed it over and saw the exact moment when Shingai realized what it was. Before the older man could say anything, Ren spoke again.

"I didn't have much when I left the States. Just my passport, and well, this."

"Ren-kun...I...I don't know what to say."

"Can you use it? Is it ambiguous enough?" Ren's determined gaze seemed to get through to Shingai and the director let out a disbelieving huff of laughter.

"Yeah we can make a couple copies, maybe have the creative team doctor it some. Are you sure about this Ren-kun?"

Ren set his jaw and nodded, his resolve reaffirmed as he saw Shingai stare down at the picture in amazement.

"Ren-kun, seriously, I'm about to do something really embarrassing, and if you tell me those two people are your parents and that they are who I think they are-"

"They are." said Ren, determined to be honest.

He was ill-prepared for Shingai to pull him into a tight hug, then pull back and start shaking his hand like it was a sport he was trying to medal in, babbling almost incoherently over how honored he felt that Ren had told him this, and wow, he was a huge fan of Juli Hizuri and-

Ren cut him off, "Director. There's a reason I keep this quiet. Not even Takashi-san knows this. Do not make me regret telling you."

Shingai froze as he heard the subtle threat in Ren's voice and took one giant step back away from the younger man.

"Ahem, my sincerest apologies Ren-kun. I got quite carried away." Shingai swallowed a little nervously at the glint in Ren's eye. But a moment later, as Shingai really started to sweat over it, Ren spoke again.

"Now you know." Ren leveled an even stare at the director.

"Indeed. Ahem. Well, I'll get this to the team, shall I?"

"Sounds like a good plan." Ren sent the man his usual smile as he tried to gather up his Tsuruga Ren facade again. Shingai nodded a little nervously and turned to leave. Ren was staring at his wallet, questioning what he'd just done when he heard Shingai speak up.

"You know Ren-kun," He saw Shingai hesitate at the doorway, but then he continued speaking, "I don't know your story, and I'm certainly not going to ask for it. However…"

Ren's eyes narrowed on the director, suspicion beginning to cloud his thoughts.

Shingai must have noticed his look, and he hurried to continue what he was saying, "This is just a thought, it really is. But the sixth act, that scene at the end that we need Taylor's family for, what would be better than the real thing? Think on it, hm?"

The director then scurried away, rightfully realizing that he might have just pushed too much. Ren was left staring after him, his heartbeat double-timing as he tried to digest Shingai's last words. He tossed his wallet back into his nightstand drawer, then sank onto his bed and groaned softly.

 _Director Shingai, don't hope for the impossible._

After a few more moments of staring into space and questioning his life's choices, Ren realized he was still too wound up to finish his nightly routine. He took a quick look outside, and while the wind had picked up, there was no rain yet. He blew out a sigh and leaned down to tighten up his shoelaces. Another jog would probably clear his head considerably.

…

Kyoko had been meandering around after dinner when she came across the part of the building the post-processing team had commandeered for their work. She assumed this at least, when she came across a room that had Shingai staring thoughtfully at a screen as it played, the sound off. After a brief explanation of how he was just reviewing footage, Kyoko had shyly asked if she could join him.

They'd sat in silence for a bit, getting comfortable in their chairs while the footage played. After a moment, Kyoko realized it was the jazz club scene they'd filmed a couple nights ago. She was right; there'd been a lot of detail shots. The footage was raw, disjointed, and obviously not chronological but she was fascinated by it anyway.

"Sir?" she asked after another moment.

"Yes Mogami-kun?"

"Do you mind if I take notes?"

Shingai shook his head free of his thoughts and stared at her quizzically.

"Oh, it just this presentation project thing at my school. You can either create your own project or substitute your own work experience, so long as you keep notes on everything you learn and have some footage to turn in as well." Kyoko explained.

"Ah, what a practical assignment for a performing arts course." Shingai said approvingly.

Kyoko tilted her head to the side in confusion, "You never did something like that?"

"Mmm, not really. But it's been sometime since my college and highschool days, I could just be forgetting about it." he laughed a little and then noticed the time on his watch. "Wow, I've actually been here this long? Unbelievable." He muttered to himself, while Kyoko smiled a little. As put-together as he seemed to be, she was glad that even Director Shingai could lose track of time like that. She could relate.

"Here Kyoko-san, we're shooting together tomorrow morning, so I'll leave you the key to this room. Just lock up after you leave and bring that back to me in the morning. But don't stay too late, alright?" Shingai gathered his things together and handed her a key from his keyring.

"Are you sure sir?" She asked him, worried that he was entrusting such a thing to her.

"It's not a problem, I know how difficult it can be to set aside time for homework. My girls are struggling with it right now. Turn in at a reasonable hour, and we'll call it even, alright?"

He sent her a reassuring smile that she returned with a bright one of her own, "Definitely sir! I'll make sure to get this back to you. Thank you so much!"

He shook his head in amusement and they said their goodbyes. Kyoko leaned over the table to grab the remote from where it had been and pressed play. The scene started back up and she studied it carefully. Then she rewound and watched it from the beginning as she took up a spare notepad and pen from where the tv was at.

Carefully she worked through the scene, notating hand gestures, tilts of heads, how lighting struck profiles for dramatic effect, and the list continued on. As she rewatched the footage for the third time, she noticed something else.

While the cameramen had done their best to leave Tsuruga-san in shadow, the close-ups on each individual's face remained. Presumably, his would be cut later, but she had the opportunity now to watch his expression again. She had studied Ren at the time as she had been Yayoi, but all she had thought of was Yayoi and the Commander and what was very carefully not said.

She paused as she watched herself stand up from her seat and look up at Lieutenant Commander Taylor. The lighting was dim, but you could clearly see the commander swallow, look away, his brow furrow, a muscle jump in his cheek, and how thinly he pressed his lips together, as if to stop himself from saying something. Kyoko caught herself rubbing the chainwork of her bracelet in between her fingers as she replayed this part of the scene.

 _I know I know this look, I've seen it before. Where?_ It was a damned frustrating thing and she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why it was sticking out at her.

"Mogami-san?" Kyoko froze as she heard that achingly familiar voice.

Before she thought much of it, she smashed the pause button on the remote and whirled around as she stood up from her chair, chirping excitedly at the man that had just appeared in the doorway, as if summoned by her own thoughts.

"Tsuruga-san! Wow! I didn't know I'd see you around tonight. Let me guess, you couldn't sleep and you're about to sneak a drink? Really, how many of your Cain habits are actually just yours?" She giggled a little, before she fell silent as she saw the look on his face. She wondered vaguely how often he switched between his hazel-colored contacts and his brown ones these days, as his eyes were the familiar brown of Tsuruga Ren.

Past her musings on that however, was the abrupt recognition of this being the first time they'd truly been alone together in person since that time at the observatory. There'd been that brief moment outside that morning, but even at breakfast they'd not been truly by themselves. She'd very carefully made sure to be around Kanae, or near others, at all times she knew she'd be around Ren since they'd come onto location a few days ago.

"I was out for a jog. Well, Shingai interrupted my first one, so I took another. I was just coming back when I saw the light on in here." Ren said as he took another few steps into the room, letting the door fall shut.

"Ah, I see. Storm yet to break then?" She kept her saleswoman smile plastered on her face, repeating Kanae's mantra frantically in her own mind.

"Hasn't broken yet, nope." He stepped ever closer to her. Her hands where she'd clasped them tightly together in front of her started to tremble, which hopefully escaped his notice.

There was a quiet moment, so quiet that Kyoko could hear his breath. And he was near enough that she could smell the sweat from his jog, and he'd brought in with him the earthy scent of the humid night. _Unfair_ , she cursed him in her own mind.

"Good night for notes, huh?"

"What?" She blurted out in response, and he stared down at her in amusement. He arched a brow and she followed his gaze to her notepad and the ever so conspicuous scene at the jazz club. She'd paused on the Commander looking down at Yayoi, a gentle look in his eye.

 _Oh no_ , she closed her eyes, hopelessly embarrassed that Ren had caught her doing such a thing. Then she straightened back up and stared him down, "Well, it's for school. There's a project there I'm working on."

Ren's lips twitched as he tried to smother his amusement, "Moved on from the stars have we?"

Kyoko could help but flush as she heard more suggestion in his words then he probably intended, "Well you see, there's multiple subjects, and we get exams in them all." She said this as sweetly as she possibly could and was rewarded by that irritated tic he had of his muscle jumping in his jaw and his lips thinning.

It was like a light-bulb went off in her head, the thought was so sudden and striking.

" _Oh_ ," She breathed, delighted and Ren's gaze swung towards hers, confused, "You thought something just now, what was it?"

Ren stared at her, nervousness crossing his face and she was pleased that she could inspire that. Kyoko found herself grasping his shirt in her excitement, "Go on, tell me what it is you wanted to say. I promise, I'm just curious. You just stopped yourself from saying something, didn't you?"

Ren's eyes flicked from where her hands held his shirt, to her face. She was nearer to him then she'd been in a while and he found himself continuing the reckless behavior he'd already started that evening with his run-in with Shingai.

Ever so slowly, he raised her braceleted wrist to his mouth, his lips grazing it slightly and smirked down at her. A beautiful blush suffused her face and she tried twisting her wrist away but he held it tight.

"Do you really want to know Kyoko?"

"Don't say my name so-"

"I'll only tell you if you say please. How much do you want to know?" Ren was thankful that he was able to wrest control from her and possibly make it so he gained the upper hand in this battle of the wills as she shot him a frustrated look.

She tugged at her wrist again before snapping crossly, "Fine. Keep it to yourself. It's not like you're not easy to read. I'll figure it out myself."

Ren couldn't help but feel a bit challenged by that, "Easy to read, eh? Is that why you were looking at this? Studying me for the future so you can get one over on me?"

She scoffed, "As if, this is a school thing, like I said."

Ren used her wrist to tug her a little closer, smiling at her cross behavior, "Well go on, what have I taught you here then?"

"That asking you questions will get me nowhere, you infuriating ass." Kyoko snapped, aggravated beyond belief that she couldn't figure out how to get her way. Sometimes she felt she had a good handle on him, and then at other times, he wiggled away just when she thought she had a good grasp on him. It was _maddening._ Ren let out a small chuckle.

Perhaps he was enjoying riling her up too much, but honestly, she'd been dodging him a while and he felt she deserved it a little. After a moment though, he felt bad enough to offer up a peace offering.

"A deal then. I'll tell you what you want to know, you tell me what Atsushi-san said to you."

Kyoko froze as she remembered why she'd been trying to avoid him.

Ren waited a moment longer and then raised a brow, "Oh, not a good enough offer, hm? That's too bad. And here, I thought you wanted some insider information for that project of yours." He let her wrist go and stepped back, wondering if his bluff would pay off.

He turned slightly, as if he was going to walk out again, and he felt her grab his shirt again. Then, in a very quiet voice, "Atsushi-san was just explaining to me how some relationships get started. Because of you know, Daisuke and Yayoi and well, you know, how friends can get to uh, more than friends. If you, like, find someone especially charming, or um, stuff like that, it might mean you're actually interested in that person and um, maybe you think of them as more than friends and uh…"

Kyoko's already quiet voice trailed off into mumbling. Ren turned the right way round again and stared down at her flushed countenance and took in how undeniably flustered she was. It was _adorable._ He gently nudged her chin upward and definitely heard a faint squeak that had him struggling to keep control.

"Hey, look at me," Ren waited patiently as Kyoko finally looked up at him. He smiled down at her, relieved to finally get the full story, "I was just trying to make sure he didn't make you uncomfortable, ok? Maybe I was being too pushy, I'm sorry for that. I was just worried, alright?"

Amusement filled him as she nodded a little, looking terribly flustered still. After a moment, she began to look at him expectantly. Ren arched an eyebrow down at her. Kyoko stomped her foot in exasperation.

"You tell me your thing now!"

Ren felt his lips curve into a wicked smirk but couldn't help himself, "Oh look at the time, where is Kotonami-san? I could have sworn we had a scene we needed to rehearse-" He mimed looking at a watch and snickered to himself a little as outrage filled her face as he mocked her behavior.

"Tsuruga-san!"

"Oh, bad news, I can only answer to Ren tonight." He turned back around and took a few steps away. He was delighted that his childishness could stoke her fury so and he heard an aggravated growl come from her direction. He took another step and then felt the air move and then shortly after, felt her landing on his back, her legs scrambling around his waist and her arms grabbing him around the shoulders, effectively stopping him by impromptu piggy-back.

He stood still a moment, entertained beyond belief that he could wring this type of behavior from her. "Well then, that's one way to do this." He had not thought through what having her so close to his ear would mean however.

Kyoko's voice was a purr that was remarkably reminiscent of Setsu and she spoke into his ear, making him shiver, "Reeeen. What were you going to say to me then?"

 _By god woman, that is outright unfair._ Ren could feel himself tense as she wiggled herself onto him more, trying to have a more secure position. The heat of her, the smell of her, it left him breathless and wanting. And he was most likely going to need a cold shower. He tried to withstand it, tried to maintain his imitation of her behavior. But, with one more wiggle that brought her chest pressing deeply into his shoulder blades, he knew he was a goner if he didn't extricate himself from this position.

He reached around and grabbed at her thighs, manhandling her as he'd sometimes done when they'd been Cain and Setsu, and swung her around to the front of him and placed her firmly on the floor. She looked as pleased as the cat that ate the canary and he felt his frustration mount. Ren folded his arms and stared down at her implacably.

Kyoko let this go for only a short moment before her hands curled into fists. "Well?"

Ren let out a shrug and looked away. Kyoko's sharp gaze caught the muscle twitching in his jaw.

"And there it is again!" She blurted it out unconsciously, and Ren couldn't stop himself from scowling.

"Are you doing that on purpose!?" Kyoko asked, disgruntled that he'd stayed quiet for so long.

"No, it's not on purpose. I didn't even realize you had noticed that I had a tic like that, most people don't." Ren felt like pouting. The more Kyoko got to know him, the less he could hide from her, even stupid things like this.

"I bet you'll feel better if you just tell me so you can leave."

"I'll bet I won't."

"Do it anyway."

Ren arched an eyebrow at her, amused despite himself, "So demanding these days."

Kyoko flushed, and responded hotly, "Whatever, you like it."

Her eyes widened as she caught the words coming out of her mouth and she covered her mouth with her hand, wishing those words had never left her. Ren stared, as surprised as she was. Kyoko nervously stepped back as he stepped forward and uncrossed his arms, determination filling his features.

"Yeah, yeah I do." He stepped closer, and she stepped back again, until the back of her thighs hit the table's edge. He planted one hand on the surface of the table to the side of her, crowding in close. His voice grew huskier, and more suggestive, as he spoke again.

"Go on Kyoko. Be demanding. Be sarcastic. Be rude. Be a little spoiled. Show me all those sides of you that you like to hide away."

Kyoko wanted to lean away, wanted to get away, but his gaze was fierce and demanded all of her attention. Ren inhaled deeply, closing his eyes a little, before they opened and his heated gaze caught hers again. No doubt, this was the most attractive he'd ever been while around her and she couldn't help how she responded.

"Ren, Ren please-"

"Please what?"

She felt weightless, and like she was soaring as high as she could ever go, and she was terribly frightened all at the same time.

"Please don't show that look to anyone but me." Kyoko's words were softly whispered as her hand reached out to curl into his hair. Ren almost let his control snap right there it was so damned provocative.

He let out a soft groan and tugged her in close so her head was nestled in under his chin.

"Kyoko, I can promise you this, there is absolutely no one else that can inspire such a reaction in me. That's for you, and you alone."

Kyoko held in a squeak as he squeezed her tighter still and she found herself grabbing at the back of his shirt just as tightly. And Kyoko had to smile ruefully into his warm chest. _I guess we are pretty hopeless at this. But at least we can be hopeless together._

They paid it no mind, but lightning split the sky outside, followed by a tremendous crack of thunder, and rain began to pelt the windows of the room.

...

Another chapter down, I hope you enjoyed.

Some additional notes:

The quotes from this chapter are as follows (in order): Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, then his Midsummer's Night Dream. Albert Camus, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, and the famed Homer's _Odyssey._

When I first imagined up Yoneda Yayoi's character, I knew the Yoneda family had to be just as remarkable as the main character herself, otherwise it would not be that plausible of a character. Yayoi's greatest influence growing up was her father, thus Yoneda Michitada-sensei's importance here in the first act.

In case anyone was curious btw, Michitada studied and worked in international law. Due to this, he grew interested in translating old classics and philosophers in his spare time. While his older children didn't find his teaching on those topics that appealing, Yayoi did. His work in both fields made him a prime candidate to run for office and be elected into the Diet after the upheaval of MacArthur's reign in Occupied Japan. The Yoneda family heavily encouraged this direction in his career due not only to the prestige, but also so he could work on legislation that would help them maintain their land's protected status under National Landmark legislation (which was legislation actually under attack at the time).

Moooving on, thank you guys so much for your wonderful reviews! I appreciate all of your responses a great deal. To those that were curious, yes, I am actually just such a big nerd that being able to apply my fields of study into a work of mine is too appealing for me not to.

Regards, artsy


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter three. Got pretty inspired to write this weekend, even with dealing with training dogs, ehehehe. Hope you all enjoy!

...

Kotonami Kanae frowned down at the words of her opening narration. Despite her fervent hopes of it being shorter than all the rest, hers appeared to be the same length as the rest of the main cast's. As her character's narration was similar to Oohara-san's and it covered a similar time-frame, she'd hoped hers would be shorter, at the very least.

She was to have hers played over the beginning and end of Act Four, while Oohara-san's was Act Three. However, both episodes were set within the same time period of three months. It involved primarily her character, Akiyama Nozomi getting married to the man she loved, the character of Interpreter Tanaka. Yoneda Yumika was involved because she and Akiyama An, Nozomi's older sister, reignited their old friendship while planning the events of the wedding. The subplot in these episodes were actually about some of Yoneda Yayoi's secrets unraveling.

Some scenes would be seen in both episodes, but from different perspectives. Some secrets that Akiyama Nozomi knew about Yayoi were going to be revealed to Nozomi's older sister An, who then related it to Yoneda Yumika. Which would then relate to the Yoneda family's issues. While the structure of episodes three and four really intrigued Kanae, there was this awful narration stumbling block.

Kanae was somewhat troubled by having to perform such a speech, to be perfectly honest. She was definitely more used to expressing emotion through her features. She thought back irritatedly to the jazz scene and to when she'd been informed by Kyoko that Tsuruga's scenes had been blocked to deliberately avoid his facial features. It had been done on a whim, something about wanting to hide that Tsuruga was actually a big part of the production and to make it a good hook into episode two. And Tsuruga's ability was so well respected-for good reason-that the shooting had went off without a hitch, even as impromptu as the directing choice had been. She wanted to growl with envy over the thought.

She huffed a little and cast a glance over at Kyoko, who was cycling away in the exercise room their facilities had, singing along to her music a little softly as she did so. Kanae had already finished her required thirty minutes of cycling for the day, but had nowhere else to be, so had stuck around. _I wonder if she's ever as envious of or as intimidated by that man like the rest of us._ Kanae pondered this often.

She'd gotten to know Nick-san, who played Lieutenant Bill Burnham, and Miura-san who played Interpreter Tanaka-san, and all three of them essentially wondered the same thing. She had only ever eavesdropped on the other two's gossiping, naturally, as she didn't want to let on that Kyoko and Tsuruga's relationship baffled her on many levels. She was Kyoko's self-proclaimed Diana to her Anne after all, and what kind of bosom buddy would she be if that was a secret she revealed?

Kanae sighed, and realized she'd drifted away from thinking of her narration. It'd been a week since they'd gone on location and she'd yet to even schedule for time in the voice-over booth. _How does one even remotely begin to narrate about surviving a bombing though?_ Kanae had been practicing different emotional inflections while speaking the words aloud, and etcetera, in preparation for it, but had yet to muster up the motivation or the confidence to see it through.

She frowned down at the script. She glanced at Kyoko again, but she still had her earbuds in and was singing along with her music. Well, Kanae thought, might as well try again.

"I was twelve when my whole life changed. All the memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of fire, screaming, and hunger. My sister and I lost our father first, to the conscription. We lost our mother to hunger. We were barely scraping by on the kindness of the other homeless when the bombings began."

Kanae was intimately familiar with hunger. Her brow furrowed as she thought back over her inflection. She'd put a lot of emphasis on _fire_ but what of the rest? Kanae tried again.

"The only memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of…" she paused for a second, " _fire, and screaming, and hunger_." She had begun the sentence with a tone of despair that signaled past trauma, but she'd let her voice quiet, and darken, until _hunger_ was spoken in one fierce chunk as she bit off the last syllable as curtly as she could. She was angry at the injustice of children having to go through what her character had to, and bitter resentment would emphasize that quite well she thought. _Let's try this one more time_.

Kanae stood, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it flow through to fill her chest. Then once more, she spoke, "I was twelve when my whole life changed. The only memories I have left of the summer of 1944 are of... _fire, and screaming, and hunger!"_

She opened her eyes, knowing a fierce glare filled her features.

A low whistle sounded from the room's doorway. She turned to look. Nick-san and Tsuruga-san were standing in the doorway, looking like they were about to exercise, same as she and Kyoko.

"That's one hell of a piece of dialogue. Impressive." Nick-san shot her an admiring look that had her clearing her throat a little in embarrassment. She ducked her head in thanks.

"Thank you Nick-san." Kanae saw Ren nod in agreement, a small smile on his face. Kanae's eyes narrowed as she saw this, wondering if it was somehow a challenge. But, before she could say anything, Kyoko's voice came from behind her.

"Good afternoon! Did you need us to leave?" Kyoko's expression and tone of voice held the same cheeriness it'd had all day, and wasn't anything special, but Kanae noticed Tsuruga's features softening as he sent Kyoko a smile.

"Not at all Mogami-san. There's plenty of space for all of us." With that, he brushed past Kanae and settled in on his own cycle. The pair ducked their heads together soon after, no doubt discussing the best exercising music or whatnot. Kanae settled back in at her bench, so she could continue trying to figure out her way of recitation.

When Nick-san settled in beside her, Kanae grew a little interested, but continued to read through the lines she'd been given. If Nick-san had a reason for sitting down beside her, she figured he'd get to it soon enough.

"What d'ya make of it?"

Kanae cocked an eyebrow at Nick as he turned to look at her, "I'm sorry?"

Nick tilted his head a little in Tsuruga and Kyoko's direction, "That. I'm sure you've got your thoughts on it. Care to share?"

Kanae sighed a little and shrugged, "They're a pair of weirdos. What's there to think about?"

Nick chuckled a little, "Well, their balcony bit sure proved that. But, ok, look. Those scenes we all have together, it's like Ren and Kyoko-san completely disappear, right? And then they're just a pair of goofballs outside of work. Professional to a T, for sure. But just...look at 'em!"

Kanae looked over, then did a double take. Had...had Kyoko dared Tsuruga to lift her like that while cycling or had he provoked her? Because there they were, laughing like a pair of fools, while Tsuruga did his best to raise Kyoko straight up, his torso twisted while cycling, with his hands sure and steady on her upper arms. Kyoko did her best to ball up and make it difficult for him, but he raised and lowered her nonetheless, and with what appeared to be very little effort.

She stared. "Ahh...sure...I have a lot of thoughts. How many hours do you have?"

…

Once Kyoko had proved Ren wrong, (No, he couldn't lift her more than ten times while cycling, hah! Even she knew his endurance couldn't be that great!), they exercised for a little longer before stopping to break. They went over to where their water bottles were, and listened while Kanae recited some of her narration, while Nick expressed his various reactions to it.

After a little while though, Kanae blew out a breath and snapped her script shut.

"Alright, enough practice on that for today. Seriously, I can't believe they expect us to narrate those long sequences like that." She let out another aggravated sigh that had Kyoko shooting her a sympathetic smile. To Kyoko's surprise though, it was Ren that answered her.

"I agree completely Kotonami-san. I can't say I'm looking forward to my voice-over either."

Kanae's surprised look was mirrored on both Kyoko and Nick's faces.

"I thought you'd tell me to buckle-down and get it done, to be frank." said Kanae.

Ren laughed a little and shrugged, "I'm having a difficult time with mine as well. I'm not looking forward to it. Your inflection and emotional emphasis is light years ahead of mine."

Kyoko felt some turmoil start building within her as Ren related this to them. She started thinking back to her own time in the voice-over booth, wondering if she'd missed something. Nick speaking up broke her train of thought, however.

"Well here Ren, let's hear some of yours." Nick gestured for Ren to come forward, so he had a better space to speak in other than the room he took up just leaning against the wall. Nick looked at him eagerly and Ren scowled.

"Nick, come on. I'm not very confident about this at all."

Nick waved him off, "Do it anyway. That's what you used to always tell me when I had a habit of ducking my head and trying to hide back in our early modeling days. What's good for the gander and all that." Nick snickered a little.

Kyoko looked curiously at Ren, wondering if he'd actually try it.

Ren sighed, then stood and cleared his throat.

"The first fact that brought me to life is also one that I bury, until it absolutely has to come to light. I was born out of wedlock. I am a bastard. Born to a Japanese immigrant and to the daughter of a wealthy white family. My-"

"Please, please stop. That's terrible." Kanae said, staring at Ren in disgust. Kyoko and Nick winced almost simultaneously at her coarseness.

Ren blew out an exasperated breath, "Well, what did I say? I have zero confidence of being able to pull this off. I even asked Kawaguchi-san for advice over it. I'm stuck because I keep thinking too hard about it and then I get anxious and well...it just spirals from there."

The dejected look on his face and the gloomy aura that sprang up around him had Kyoko moving to his side and giving him a little hug.

"May I try and help?" She asked Ren, looking up into his face. Ren looked down at her and frowned.

"How?"

Kyoko paled a little, thinking he was angry at her presumptuousness, and began to backpedal, "I, um, of course I only ask because I thought, um, well, really." She stopped for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"Tsuruga-san. You look very dejected right now. I don't know that I _can_ help. But I'd like to try."

"Ah Ren, don't be such a bore, let her try. I certainly can't. The last time I monologued, my acting coach vetoed me doing it as an audition piece." Nick said, curiosity clear on his features while Kanae looked a bit appalled.

Ren sighed again, "Alright. Mogami-san, what's your advice?"

"Well actually, I just have a question…"

"Go ahead," was she imagining it, or was Ren getting even gloomier? Kyoko swallowed against the lump in her throat and forged ahead.

"I'm sorry if this is an awkward question, but, you know this feeling, don't you? Everyone does, in fact. We all hide things, and for various reasons, but it's primarily because we feel shame. That very first sentence of that narration...that's clear as day. Your character is ashamed of where he came from. And you know that feeling, don't you?"

There was a moment of silence, while Kyoko stared at the ground, twiddling her forefingers together nervously.

"Holy shit." said Nick. Kyoko's head shot up to find the others staring at her in astonishment.

"I guess I do." Ren said, almost disbelieving still, that the answer could be something so simple.

Kyoko felt a moment of relief, "See? Yayoi feels this too. She is ashamed of her, uh well, what she _perceives_ to be her weakness. So she tries to be the perfect daughter all of the time, because well, if she can't be that, she doesn't think she has anything left but weakness. You see? All it would take then, is to emphasize that."

She stared excitedly up at Ren, and when he just smiled at her brilliantly, she blushed a little.

"Ahem, um anyways. What else does yours say?"

Ren rubbed his chin a little, "Hmm, let's see here...there's a bit more of musing on his beginnings, and of the family he's lost, how far along he's come as an officer, but then there's this one bit. It goes, 'I did my best to make my family proud. It mattered little, in the end. I lost my mother too. My grandmother no longer wishes to see my face, and I have little doubt that I have no home awaiting my return. All my efforts, they have been for _nothing_.'"

He stopped there, and looked to see the reaction of those around him. Kyoko seemed impressed, Nick thoughtful, but Kotonami-san was frowning. Ren quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You seem to be displeased Kotonami-san."

Kanae huffed a little, "Is that it? Where's your end? If that's it, that's just depressing."

Kyoko stiffened as she asked this, and she broke in, "Actually, I just realized something Moko-san, we were supposed to meet wardrobe ten minutes ago!"

Kanae frowned at her, "Eh? What? What are you talking about?"

"Yep! Sorry Moko-san! I forgot to tell you! They wanted another fitting for our wedding outfits for episode four. Come on!"

Kyoko gathered their bags up in a hurry, somehow also managing to grab Kanae's hand to tug her out the door. The entire sequence of events took maybe three minutes tops, and left Ren shaking his head and chuckling.

Nick snorted, "That wasn't suspicious whatsoever…"

"Ah, let it be. Mogami-san had Takashi-san's best interests at heart."

"Wait, the writer?"

"Yeah. She's only given the ending for Act Six to a few select people. Takashi-san wants to surprise everyone with the ending. My ending narration will be the end of the series, so she's protecting that scene fiercely."

Nick looked faintly impressed, "That's some dedication. Won't whoever be shooting it also know it when it's shot though?"

Ren shook his head. "Closed set that day. It'll be the last thing done. They set the scene deliberately so it wouldn't need any special permissions, or weird set dressing that would take up a lot of time to set up and take down. Simple and clean, that's how Takashi-san prefers her endings."

"What in the hell did you get me into Ren?"

Ren smirked, and Nick shared his amused look, "A damn good production."

…

Takimoto Misaki, in her curiosity over how close Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san were, had done a Google search. The video results had, well, varied wildly. And usually had titles like, 'LME's Manzai Duo' or 'BTS hi-jinks of Dark Moon' or 'Proof that Itsumi-chan wasn't lying' and etcetera. To be honest, each video compilation had made her giggle quite a bit. And she seriously wanted to meet Momose Itsumi-san to hear the stories straight from the source. (Which apparently was a thing simply because the two of them had entertained Momose-san that much?). Regardless, the videos and interviews had been enlightening, to say the least.

A week and a half into them being on location, she'd had rare afternoon off. So there she was, enjoying a coffee in the town they were near, watching said videos when The Incident occurred. There she'd been, minding her own business, not realizing that there was a rise in the general hubbub in the coffee shop. That was at least, until someone yanked rather rudely on her shoulder, presumably to get her attention off her tablet, as she was also wearing earbuds at the time.

She swung an angry gaze up at the offender, then stopped, speechless at the familiar face looking so angry. She might not have been completely up to date on music trends, but even she knew Fuwa Sho when she saw him. What on earth had made him so upset?

He snapped something at her, which she couldn't hear because of, obviously, having earbuds in her ears. She pulled them out and asked faintly,

"I'm sorry?"

"That video! What is that from?!"

Misaki swallowed a little, nervous about his temper, then glanced down at what she'd been viewing. Ah, the gag-reel compilation from Dark Moon with Kyoko-san and Tsuruga-san.

"Um, Dark Moon's gag-reel," came her unnerved reply.

A sneer came over his face, but before she could ask him anything further, he stomped off in a huff, slamming out the coffee-shop door. Misaki then wondered if it would be possible to actually melt into the table if only to avoid the multiple pairs of eyes swinging her way, avid curiosity alight in several faces. She hurried to stuff her tablet in her bag, and scurried out of there before anyone else could approach her.

All the way back during her walk to their _Oguso_ location, she remained befuddled about the entire ordeal.

…

Kyoko hummed excitedly as she strode down the hallway to dinner. She'd just returned from meeting with the Art Director and his team because of some things she was curious about and it had been an eye-opening meeting. They were currently working through creating the credits for the series that would be at the beginning and end of each episode and she was amazed at their thoughtfulness and hard work. They'd only just story-boarded the opening credits, but if it worked out how they were planning it to, it'd be an impressive minute and a half long piece.

Kyoko sighed in contentment. She'd been meeting with various teams and departments while on location just as part of the homework tasks she'd been hoping to complete while here, and so far, she'd actually been to finish a couple assignments. _Yes, it's nice to be able to multitask,_ she thought to herself cheerfully. And naturally, she was just wanting to learn all she could. A mini-series was something she'd never done before and the process was incredibly interesting. It seemed more in-depth in regards to all of the material and make-up of it, but had a shorter time-frame in which things got done. Which tended to necessitate having an on-location shoot that was immersive and in-depth so it could be completed in that shortened time-frame. So, while she was here, she made sure to take time out of each week to try to learn something new about the production process. She had no idea when she'd next get the chance to.

She turned the corner to get to the kitchen then, and noticed a familiar face exiting the dining hall. She cocked her head in thought, but then realized that yes, she was seeing a very familiar face.

"Kinji-san?"

The man in question looked up from his phone, trying to figure out who had called out to him. When his eyes alighted on hers, he hurried to bow.

"Kyoko-san! Good work today!"

She returned the greetings, then asked, "Sorry, but I didn't expect to see you. Don't you normally work under Director Ogata?"

Was it just her or did he brush that off with a bit of a nervous laugh?

"Yeah, You're remembering correctly. I am very sorry for my lax behavior in Karuizawa. I still feel bad remembering that." Kinji-san raised a hand to the back of his head and laughed nervously again.

Kyoko frowned, "Well I'm certainly not still upset over that. You apologized a great deal then. But, why are you here now? Are you working for Director Shingai and Director Ogata right now?"

Kinji shook his head and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I uh, ended my contract with Director Ogata."

"...I see. Are you, uh, are you okay?" Kyoko fretted a little over his disquieting behavior. A frustrated look came over Kinji's face that had her curiosity overpowering her worry.

"Yeah. I need more varied experience anyways. But, I didn't leave on the greatest terms. It's hard to think about." Kinji-san let out a sigh.

"Er, do you want to talk about it?"

Kinji-san sighed again and leaned against the hallway wall near her.

"Ah, well. It's just, well, you sure you don't mind?" Kinji-san sent her a questioning look.

"I promise, you just look a bit troubled. Sometimes it helps me to talk about stuff that troubles me." Kyoko sent him a reassuring smile.

"I appreciate you taking the time to ask. It's just a tough topic. I uh, I had a buddy accused of inappropriate behavior towards one of Ogata-san's actresses, which I knew was false." Kinji-san tapped his phone agitatedly against his leg as he explained this.

"My protestations seemed to do nothing though. The actress then accused me of trying to cover it up, which, of course, there was nothing to cover up!" He frowned.

"And then, the assistant director told the security team head to just fire my friend, because he was easily replaced and they didn't need us holding up the production." Kinji-san's lips twisted bitterly.

"I quit in protest. Though," some light returned to his eyes as he looked at Kyoko again, "A couple others did too. I think we got the last point in on that confrontation."

Kyoko was worried anew however, after hearing all of that, "How irresponsible of that AD! Did Director Ogata do nothing? What if that person continues to cause trouble?!"

Kinji-san shrugged, "We don't know that he knew. His assistant director was in charge of managing our team. Ogata-san hadn't ever worked with that AD or with that actress, so I don't know if Ogata-san knew where to look if he even knew there was trouble."

"Well I'm very sorry to hear that something like that happened. You guys helped me so much in Karuizawa, it's terrible that someone else just messed that up for you all." Kyoko stepped a little closer and patted him comfortingly on his arm.

"Thanks Kyoko-san. You're very sweet to care."

She smiled back up at him, "Hey, we're all in this together, right? It takes a village."

"Kyoko-san, has anyone ever told you that you have a great attitude?" asked Kinji-san, his expression looking a little more light-hearted now.

Kyoko laughed a little, "I might have heard it once or twice. Oh, but there's a silver lining to your trouble. At least I know with you around, there's someone out there I can count on to have our backs with set security."

"Never doubt that Kyoko-san. Not when you've got me around." came the fervent response.

They parted ways soon after, Kyoko unknowing of how much her attitude had just ignited a fierce loyalty.

…

Fuwa Shotaro grumbled a little as he wrote out some lines of lyrics. He paused a moment, rereading them, then realized that the music chord progression clashed with the stanza rhythm. He balled up the piece of paper he was writing on and tossed it away with a growl of frustration. Obviously the encounter at the coffee shop had bothered him more than he'd anticipated.

He'd hightailed it out of there, and had headed back to the hotel room he'd reserved for the week. He'd not wanted such scenes to mess up the groove of his songwriting time, and it was not working. He kicked up his feet onto the couch in the room, and grumbled some more about how unfair life was. And he'd only been able to manage a week away from Tokyo too! There would be no way he could extend his trip just to make up for a day of lost work.

 _What to do, what to do?_ Sho cast his eyes about, looking for an idea of how to spark his inspiration again. He'd already tossed his guitar aside for the day, trying to avoid getting burned out on music creation. So, that was out. And nothing funny would be on TV for another hour yet. He scowled. He'd gone to the coffee shop to clear his head and it had backfired terribly.

He'd had no idea that those two could act like that together. He'd gotten an inkling of it to be sure, from that one interview. But how comfortable they were with each other was making him want to hurl. And as much as he tried to ignore it, a niggle of worry was beginning to overpower his anger over the idea.

 _Bastard_ , Sho thought viciously as the pretty-boy actor's face laughing with Kyoko came up in his mind again. _What is it going to take to prove that you can't have her?!_ Thoughts rolled about in his mind, frustrating him to no end. Kyoko had sworn to keep aiming for her ambitions, but he didn't trust that two-bit actor as far he could throw him.

 _What to do, what to do?_

No matter how many times he asked himself this, Fuwa Shotaro didn't unearth an answer.

…

Kyoko sometimes thought that to act was to live and grieve simultaneously. You lived as your character, and you grieved every time you had to let that character go. You always anticipated saying goodbye. And that feeling loomed ever nearer the closer you got to the character.

Kyoko watched, her heart aching, as Oohara-san and Sugaya sobbed as they embraced, caught up in the emotion of their characters for the scene the three of them were working on for act two. The Yoneda Okami-san and her oldest daughter were huddled near the phone in this scene, with Kyoko in the doorway, looking on. As the script had elaborated, the Okami-san had answered the call, with her oldest daughter rushing to her side, once the Okami-san had begun to cry.

Oohara-san and Sugaya-san's raw emotional expression was something wonderful to witness firsthand. Kyoko's role in the scene was to be more closed off and reserved, presumably taking to heart her family's training of always being in control of their emotions. That wasn't the truth, but that's how it would appear.

Additionally, all the Okami-san said in the scene was that they'd lost their father. No one would inform Yayoi of the state of her husband and the circumstances of her father's passing until the next day, when the Lieutenant Commander Taylor would stop by. He would be informed of the particulars of the attack by his supervising officer, and come hurrying to the inn, concerned for their well-being.

This was how episode two began. Then there would be scenes of them preparing for the funeral rites, and etcetera as Kyoko's voice over would begin. As she stood there now, her hands clasped tightly together to avoid their trembling, she couldn't help but feel the heartache.

Oohara-san and Sugaya-san were fully in that moment, wherein the actress felt how the character felt. They sobbed together, mother and daughter devastated once more by grief. It was one of the only moments in the series in which the Okami-san's mask cracked, and Kyoko was awed by how well Sugaya-san could portray it.

If Kyoko were to be perfectly honest, she felt as though she got off easy in this scene. Acting in such a fashion with a mother character, and having to express grief, well, her heart shied away from that, intimidated. And at the same time, she could feel Yayoi inside of her, bitterly resentful of not being able to honestly express her grief along with her family. Kyoko struggled to keep her resentment off her face, and to instead portray a reserved sorrow.

Her cheeks were aching from the effort by the time Director Shingai called cut. And a headache was beginning to form behind her eyes. She sighed, despairing.

Once they were cleared to step off, and Kyoko's outfit and hair were redone appropriately, Kyoko hurried to the outside set. This was partially attached to the indoor Yoneda Inn set, and to the outside garden set. And it was where the grave marker was set up for Yoneda Michitada-sensei, next to the marker of the Yoneda's only son. Kyoko had been going back and forth to all three all day, and her aching feet were happy that this was the last scene she had to do for the day.

Her opening narration covered about a week's worth of events, most of which would simply be shown visually, and not really elaborated on. And that's most of what they'd shot for the day. But, this upcoming scene she had to do was actually where the episode ended.

Kyoko forced herself into focusing on her ending narration to help her detach emotionally from the scene that they'd just done. She'd requested a five minute breather between scenes so she could simply situate herself at the grave marker, and get into the right frame of mind. When no one interrupted her as she did so, she couldn't help but feel pathetically relieved. She'd felt like she'd gone through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the day.

Kyoko sighed as she knelt, thinking back to her narration. _...be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continuously pounds. It stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet. Be like…_

"Kyoko-san?" Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at the assistant director.

"Yes?"

"May we start now?"

Kyoko nodded and waited. Shingai called for the scene to start, and still she waited, facing the grave markers. After a moment longer, she heard the crunch of boots on gravel, then a heavy tread on grass.

"Yoneda-sama." She acknowledged Lieutenant Commander Taylor addressing her. He knelt beside her, offering flowers for the marker. She took them with a small thank you.

The wind whistled by them for a moment before he spoke again.

"Any news on your husband?"

She shook her head a little, "He remains in a coma at the hospital."

The Commander nodded, understanding. Then he sighed, "The calligraphy class the other day...I couldn't help but be surprised at how the Okami-san treated you."

Kyoko stiffened, her Yayoi wanting to move away from the warmth at her side, but at the same time wanting to huddle in closer to that warmth and to the sympathetic voice that was speaking.

"She was...displeased with my choice of character for the class."

" _Natsukashii._ "

" _Natsukashii_ ," Yayoi murmured as well, "Something longed for, something that is missed. Something that is _yearned_ for."

Ever so slowly, Jack Taylor raised his hand, and placed it over top of hers, "My mother would say a pain shared is a pain halved."

Yayoi's fists curled in tightly and she had to clear her throat before she could speak again.

"And your father? What would your father say?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw his lips twist, distressed by the question it seemed. She was surprised to hear him speak up anyway.

" _Jikan ga kaiketsu shite kureru no o matsu nomi na no desu_." Yayoi's eyes widened as she looked at him in full and he returned her look, measure for measure.

"You can only wait for time to resolve the pain for you." Yayoi said, translating it back to him in his mother's tongue.

Jack's head dipped a little, acknowledging her effort. "Indeed."

Yayoi looked him over, "And does it? Does time resolve it?"

He let out a bitter-sounding chuckle, "I'll let you know when I know."

"Commander-san, who have you lost?"

"At times, I believe that I simply have nothing left. No parents, no other family, and friends are scarce." He offered an apathetic shrug. "Scarcer still, now."

Jack looked back at the marker, and traced the kanji marks that made up the name of Yoneda Michitada with his eyes.

Yayoi turned her hand over, and caught the Commander's fingers with her own. Yayoi and Jack knelt at the grave markers, unmoving for a long moment. And then their hands tightened until their fingers were interwoven. Kyoko closed her eyes as the wind blew through their hair again, bringing with it the scent of the flowers he'd brought, and of the ones in the garden. The final sentences of her narration struck her anew.

 _Some things you read, and you feel as if the words are carved into your bones forever after. Plato's work says, 'Humans, in the beginning, must have been two beings stuck back to back, with two faces. Zeus, as punishment for their misdeeds, split them all in half. Each human would forever long for the other, and whence the two would find each other once more, there would be an unspoken understanding.'_

 _What a cruel thought that is. Forever wondering why you feel alone, why you feel empty, never knowing that they are there unless you meet that other half again. Unmoored, and set adrift, forever yearning to come to shore._

 _But what if… What if you feel the winds of change?_

 _Do you let the seas keep you adrift? Do you seek harbor? Do you find your shore?_

…

At times, Shingai Seiji wondered how he got so lucky while at the same time, having the absolute worst timing. Certainly, he got lucky with what he was able to accomplish as a director. As one of his old mentors used to say, luck was always part of the film production process, even if you didn't recognize it at the time. Sure, expertise and taking advantage of every opportunity you got, that was by far more important. But just a little bit of luck… well, that could make an amazing production an extraordinary one.

Shingai's timing however, that could use some work. He'd simply wanted to slip Ren's photo back to him, with no one the wiser before the shoot started. The scene that happened instead though, was not one he'd anticipated. Thinking back, perhaps he should have.

They'd been closing in on two weeks down of the on-location shooting and they'd been working on the last scene of the evening. He'd been pretty pleased with how things had gone for the shooting of episode two, especially in regards to the Yoneda Family scenes, as well as the grave site scene Kyoko-san and Ren-kun had pulled off just a couple days before. And Shingai had been looking forward to seeing yet more exceptional acting from the pair.

Kyoko had been arranging some calla lily stems amongst some other floral stems within the vases on set while they'd been waiting on their other stars so they could start filming. The scene in question was set in Act Three and was just supposed to be an easy one and done thing, as it was primarily an aesthetic scene and only there to highlight time passing.

Shingai had been checking angles of cameras just to be thorough, when Ren strode onto set. Shingai had moved to intercept him, due to the whole picture incident, but Ren didn't actually seem to realize he was trying to get his attention. Instead, he just went right to Kyoko, a playful smile on his face.

Shingai's eyes narrowed. Then he slipped behind a camera, and went ahead and made sure to switch it to recording. If Kurosaki spoke the truth, Shingai might just be able to capture a scene he might not otherwise get. The light streaming in through the window was absolutely _begging_ to be used in any case.

He watched as Ren took a quick glance around the room, checking that no one was paying him any attention. There was his good ol' trusty luck playing a part, ensuring Ren didn't see him behind the camera. Ren slipped in close behind Kyoko, and held his hand just high enough up for a ribbon to catch her eye, as well as Shingai's. _Hmmm…Interesting._ Shingai mused.

Kyoko tilted her head a little, presumably as confused as Shingai was. "What's this about? And shouldn't you be taking your mark over there?"

Shingai was relieved that he could hear most of what she said, but shifted to the camera they were using for detail shots, as that was set up nearer to Kyoko. That way, he could pretend to check the angles of it while he eavesdropped.

Ren looked down at her, a bit smug from what Shingai could tell, and jostled the ribbon a little in his hand to draw her eye to it again, "Someone forgot something in hair and makeup. Tsk, tsk."

Kyoko shot him a playful scowl, "Then they would have stopped me before I got on set and fixed it then."

Ren gave a little sigh in mock pity, "Someone did try to stop you. I was informed that Yayoi-sama didn't like the color. I wonder what happened there…"

Shingai smothered a smile as Kyoko blushed. There was no doubt in his mind of the probability of her having been so in character in that moment that she might have brushed the poor hair assistant off.

"Ehehe… ah, well, I can certainly go apologize. If you'll excuse me." she stepped backwards a little, but Ren didn't move. This resulted in Kyoko's back being pressed to Ren's front and Shingai's eyebrows shot upward in surprise that Ren would try such a thing, on set no less. _Terrible timing, that._

"Tsuruga-san, excuse me."

He smirked down at her, "Excuse you indeed. But, there's no need for you to go haring off, I made your apologies."

She stepped to the side a little, and cocked her head, confused.

"Thank you…?" Kyoko's voice trailed off questioningly. Shingai was yet again surprised as Ren sighed, and simply adjusted her positioning so she faced the vase again.

"I was teasing you Mogami-san." Shingai had to strain his ears to hear this, as Ren pitched his voice lower as he stepped in closer to her.

"I'm just as capable as putting this in as they are, so I offered to do it. Ah, there we go, there's a bobby pin."

Kyoko placed her hands back on her stems, maybe to make it appear as if she was just focused on her work, Shingai wasn't too sure. Regardless, he recognized the effort she was putting in to appear so calm and collected. He'd seen it before between these two. He blessed his luck that he'd been able to catch this. When did one ever get the chance to catch a moment so adorable as a young man adjusting the hairstyle of a young woman?

After a quiet moment, Kyoko cleared her throat, "Going into hair and makeup along with casting Tsuruga-san?"

It was a weak jest, but Shingai praised her effort. He knew he wanted to see what would happen and how Ren would respond. _Though, I do feel a little guilty for eavesdropping._ Only a little bit though; it was up to them to maintain professional boundaries as they wished while on set.

Ren chuckled a little. "Nah. My mom did like it when I played with her hair though. So, I've got some practice."

Kyoko stilled, her hands fluttering to the sides of her vase. Shingai might have been imagining it, but he was pretty sure that little two by three picture was burning a guilty hole in his pocket. Fond remembrance threaded through Ren's words as his hands fed the ribbon into the hairstyle they'd put her in for the scene.

"Mom has so much hair, and it's so curly. A brighter blonde than mine even. You'd automatically think she was a Queen Fairy if you ever saw her. I know that for a fact."

Kyoko's eyes closed, and Shingai winced. He'd, well, he'd had his guesses, but not anything that had been confirmed until just now as to what had _really_ been behind that one fight they'd had. The expression on Kyoko's face was pained, as it had been then. It was easy to connect the dots with the information Shingai had now.

It was Kyoko's turn to surprise him though. Shingai watched, a little touched to see such a scene, as Kyoko reached a hand back to squeeze Ren's wrist. A soft look was on her face as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

"I'd love to meet her. You must love her so much."

The raw, vulnerable emotion between the two of them made Shingai blink rapidly, and look away. _I have poor timing, but great luck_ , he thought with a small sigh. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he stayed where he was, glanced back over at the pair, and fiddled with a lens filter as he listened some more.

"She'd love to meet you too." came Ren's quiet reply. After a moment, Ren took Kyoko's hand in his and returned the soft squeeze. He then curled a bit of her hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.

"There. Perfect. You're a vision of indescribable beauty Yoneda-sama." he bowed his head a little playfully.

Kyoko just rolled her eyes, "You should know by now that your flattery is wasted on me."

Ren gazed at her with an impossibly gentle look on his face, "The more you tell me not to say nice things to you, the more convinced I am that you need to hear them."

He bowed a little again, and dropped her hands, then stepped away off to his mark, leaving Kyoko there, looking as stunned as Shingai had ever seen her. He looked between his two stars, unsure if he should even try to approach Ren. But, as he saw a couple camera grips headed his way, he pushed the thought aside. He'd have to wait for a better time.

He instructed his crew on what to do, but went to the camera he'd turned on. He paused its recording, taking a moment to just rewind the footage and hitting pause again.

That moment where Kyoko had reached for Ren as she'd looked over her shoulder, and the look they had shared, with the warm golden light of the sunset coming in, it was a beautiful moment. Shingai knew he should probably get rid of the footage, but he also knew he wouldn't. His artist's heart simply couldn't allow such a beautiful image to be buried, never again to see the light of day.

Quickly, before someone could ask him why he hadn't called for action yet, he captured the shot with his phone camera, and then played the footage back so they were ready to roll again. He could figure out later if it could be useful. As it stood now, it could just be his little secret.

…

Kijima Hidehito hummed tonelessly as he tapped a finger against the restaurant table. He was perusing his Instagram on his phone with his other hand, when he came across a favorite image of his taken at the Dark Moon Wrap Party. He, Airi-chan, Itsumi-chan and Kyoko-chan had been grouped together at one point and some lucky duck had captured the moment in time.

He sighed, a little mournful now. Six months past the party, and he had yet to land another job with ladies as lovely as the ones he'd been around on Dark Moon. And certainly not in the quantity they'd been in that series. Not for lack of trying, to be sure. Which was why he was stuck on location now instead of hitting the party scene in Tokyo. But, he thought as he checked the time, he had gotten lucky tonight. He just so happened to be in a town close to where a couple others were on location and they'd been able to arrange a meet-up.

"Kijima-kun!" His head popped up, his eyes scanning the entrance of the restaurant.

"Airi-chan, Itsumi-chan!" He held his arms wide as they met a little past the table he'd reserved so they all could huddle into a little three way hug. He inhaled blissfully as he smelled the enticing scents of lavender and vanilla. _Yes,_ _this, this is the best._ Before the hug could go on too long to be appropriate, he stepped back and eagerly asked how the girl's days had gone.

They chatted for a little while after settling into their booth, before the restaurant door opened again, catching Airi-chan's attention.

"Kotonami-san! Over here!" Kijima appreciated the inclusion of another lady. Kotonami settled in next to Oohara-san.

"Pardon the intrusion," the girl murmured.

"Kotonami Kanae right?" Itsumi-chan piped up.

Kotonami Kanae nodded stiffly.

"I thought so! You got Kyoko-chan that adorable makeup set for her birthday. I got my little sister the same one!"

"Oh it was so embarrassing trying to find it, wasn't it?!" Itsumi-chan and Airi-chan giggled a little at the aggravation that came over Kotonami-san's face.

Airi-chan cocked her head in question once she stopped giggling though, "Weren't Ren-kun and Kyoko-san coming with you?"

Kanae shrugged, "Their scene ran a little late and our director said he'd let them know I went ahead."

"So you're all working together right now?" Kijima asked, curious.

"Ah, yes, the cast is pretty big for this, so I got lucky!" said Airi-chan brightly.

"Ahhh, you sure did. I'm just here for a PV for a couple days," sighed Itsumi-chan.

"And I'm just guest-starring in a piece," Kijima said, thinking back once more to the good old Dark Moon days.

Kotonami-san spoke up then, "Well, even I'm just here because you wanted to be polite, I still appreciate you taking the time to invite me."

Airi-chan waved her off, "It's not a problem at all. I always like being friends with my coworkers. Makes acting way easier if I like who I'm with."

Itsumi-chan nodded along sagely, then scooched a little closer to Kotonami-san, while Kijima looked on, amused, "But while we have you here, give us the low-down on Kyoko-chan and Tsuruga-san! You're all with LME right?"

Kotonami-san snorted, "I thought you were the one that always talked about them being a manzai duo. Yeah, they're basically like that all the time, except, irritatingly enough, while working."

Itsumi-chan laughed, "That's true. Well, but surely they've done something worth gossiping about recently?"

With a voice wry with irony, Kotonami-san replied, "How many hours do you have?"

That startled a laugh out of Airi-chan, "Ohmygosh, I thought Nick-san was joking. You really said that to him last week sometime, didn't you?"

Kotonami-san nodded, a sly smirk pulling at her lips. Kijima settled back in his chair, entertained by the trio exchanging stories. After a few minutes though, something pricked his interest.

"Ah, that name, I know it. I modeled with him. Noa Mano? He's with you guys?"

Airi-chan nodded, "Yep. Ren-kun recruited a few people he knew while he was helping with casting with this."

Kijima couldn't help but be impressed, "Huh. Ren-kun sure is putting his all into this. Well, I guess it makes sense to get experienced at that while you're still young. Especially if you want to produce someday."

Kotonami-san's voice was thoughtful, "Do you think he'll go that way?"

"Hmmm, he could do so pretty easily I think," Kijima mused, "His fame has garnered him the right kind of attention, and not a small amount of wealth either. It's quite plausible for him I think, if he plays it right."

The other three pondered this for a bit. However, they were shortly distracted from it by a familiar laugh and a scolding voice, "...promise me that! While Director Konoe means well, you have to promise me that he will not tell!"

"Cease, princess, cease! You've plead your case! I promise!"

Kijima looked up, curious, and the girls twisted around to see a huffy Kyoko near the entrance, waiting for a maitre'd to attend to her and a snickering Ren.

A magnificent scowl came over Kyoko's face, "Ren. I'm serious. I don't care how funny you think it'll be to see everyone's reaction." She crossed her arms and jutted her chin outwards as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Tsuruga Ren held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, lips still twitching a little, "I solemnly swear to keep this secret until my dying day."

They all stared for a moment, but the tableau was interrupted by the hostess hesitantly approaching them.

"Ah, customer-sans...umm…"

Kyoko looked around Ren in some surprise, "Ah, my apologies! Our reservation is under Kijima. It's a party of six."

The hostess nodded, looking a little relieved, and showed them where they were at. Kijima smothered his own chuckles at the embarrassed behavior of Kyoko as they strode towards them.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. We were held up. Thank you Moko-san, for making sure to let us know your plans to go ahead." Kyoko tucked herself into the big corner booth next to Kotonami-san while Ren sidled in next to Kyoko, and the other three shifted down further.

"Hope you all don't mind some French cuisine. I found this little place and they have some great wine." Kijima said as everyone finished their greetings and settled in.

Kyoko laughed a little nervously, "So long as they still serve water, it's fine with me."

"Sorry, you'll be drinking spit of frog," Ren teased, glancing down at her. Then a moment later, "Oof! Did you have to kick so hard?"

Kyoko smiled sweetly while Airi-chan and Itsumi-chan shared an amused look and Kotonami-san sighed.

Ten minutes later, drinks were all sorted out, and menus put away after ordering. The girls began to exchange various work stories and Kijima sighed in pleasure as he could still smell the faint hint of vanilla and honey wafting over from Airi-chan. He'd struck out with her once, but maybe, the more he got to know her, the better chance he'd have of landing a date with her.

As he was happily considering this option, Kijima noticed Ren ever so slowly settling back into the booth, and propping his arm up on the back of it. He did it so cautiously, Kijima couldn't help but watch him covertly, intrigued by the gesture. This paid off a little while later, when he caught Ren's hand tangling slightly with a lock of Kyoko's hair.

Kijima waited for a little longer, but when Kyoko didn't even react, he couldn't help but be impressed. _Kudos to you Ren-kun, I didn't think you'd ever get close enough to do that._ Kyoko was always so proper and professional, he thought Ren would just be doomed for a couple years of unrequited feelings. _Looks like you've moved quite far along_. Would it be appropriate for him to offer his congratulations?

Kijima pondered this throughout most of their meal. But as talk rolled around to what he'd been doing, the less he thought of it and the more he just enjoyed the chance to have dinner with some people he'd truly missed being around.

"Oh, oh, idea! I want a new profile pic for my twitter! Here, let me out a second." Itsumi piped up with this halfway through them finishing dessert. Or in Kotonami-san's and Ren's case, their coffee. Kijima and Airi-chan moved to let her out and she looked over the table for a second.

"Ok, Kijima-san, take your hand and make an L shape with your fingers for me."

Kijima was a bit bewildered, but did so.

"Alright!, Kotonami-san, come out of the booth now, then Kijima-san, Kyoko-chan and Ren-kun, squish together for me. Oh, and here." She stepped forward to arrange Kyoko's and Ren's hands the way she wanted them.

"Alright Oohara-san, can you slide in next to Tsuruga-san and make a V?"

Airi-chan chuckled, "Smartly done Itsumi-chan."

Itsumi shot her a smile in return before she said, "Alright Kotonami-san. I want to send this to Director Ogata too, so this should just be us, do you mind taking the picture?"

"Not at all. In fact, I'm grateful to not take part in this embarrassment whatsoever." Kotonami-san muttered in an undertone as she held up Itsumi-chan's phone. A ripple of laughter flowed the group-now including Itsumi-chan-that were sitting in the booth.

"Never change Kotonami-san," said Ren teasingly, and promptly got a glare for his trouble.

And with Itsumi-chan holding up the E, Kanae snapped the picture.

After looking it over, she spoke, "Could be worse" She then handed the phone back to Itsumi-chan.

They all crowded around, and the rest of the people in the picture then demanded to be sent it immediately. Once that was done, Itsumi-chan went ahead and posted it to twitter, tagging Director Ogata's account. Their hands spelled out LOVE, with Ren and Kyoko's hands forming a heart for the O. The hashtags were short and sweet: 'sendingyoulove' and 'darkmoonlove'.

Airi-chan smiled as she looked over Itsumi-chan's shoulder, "That was very sweet of you. Great idea."

Kijima couldn't help but agree.

…

Ren was the first to notice the familiar face.

The group he was with had gone ahead and decided to escort Momose-san to where her manager had decided to go for drinks, as she and her manager had carpooled that night. As Kijima-san had put it, lovely young ladies deserved to be escorted about the town on occasion.

They had already gone a block or two, and Ren walked besides Kyoko in quiet pleasure, reinforcing his self-control so his fingers wouldn't reach out to tangle with hers. As he was debating whether or not to risk interrupting Kyoko's conversation with Itsumi-san by teasing her again, he saw him. Fuwa Shotaro was sitting outside a cafe, recognizable even with his oversized hat pulled low on his face.

It was like a shock of cold water to the face, and panic started seeping into his good mood and overpowering it. Without him even realizing he'd thrown caution to the wind, Ren snuck an arm around Kyoko's waist. At least, he did so until Kyoko paused in their stroll, looked at his arm, then stared at him in confusion.

"Tsuruga-san?"

Sweat began to form on the back of his neck as he realized he'd just shot himself in the foot. He'd been hoping to just speed their walk along without Kyoko noticing Fuwa, and now here he was looking like the dumbass he'd been trying to not be.

"Ah…sorry to interrupt but, uh, that dress there, doesn't that remind you of your Hime-sama?" He lied as smoothly as he could, pointing out a dress in a shop window that seemed to be made of a pretty, blue, gauzy material. Said shop was conveniently located on the opposite side of the street from where Fuwa was at.

Itsumi blinked at the pair of them in surprise, "Who's Hime-sama now?"

Kyoko, who'd been gazing in admiration at the dress, spoke up, "Oh, Saishi Style has me as a model now, and I named my model persona Hime-sama. Oh, Ren, she'd love this!"

Ren breathed a sigh of relief that he'd been able to play that off.

"Hate to say it, but yeah, nice eye Tsuruga-san." said Kanae.

Ren shot her an amused look, "Give me some credit Kotonami-san. I know this girl's taste. Besides, don't you hate frivolous stuff? I'm happy to indulge her, and you get to avoid it. We all win here."

Oohara-san and Itsumi-san exchanged an amused look, while Kijima looked on, bemused. Kanae sighed, then said, "Well, I suppose that's true."

Kyoko remained fascinated by the dress in question, but the group was able to successfully continue to walk the block they had yet to go. Ren was about to breath a relieved sigh at avoiding the whole thing when he heard it.

"Hey! Yeah! You two! What are you doing here?!"

Ren's fiercely muttered, "Oh goddamnit." drew Kyoko and Kanae's attention, while the others just looked around in confusion. Itsumi-san was the first to realize.

"... _Oh_. Oh dear." She and Oohara-san looked at each other, then at Kyoko in concern. Kyoko frowned at them, shot a quick glance at Ren, then peered around his shoulder. She stiffened as she caught sight of Fuwa across the street.

He was striding toward them, then jogged across when traffic cleared, a fierce scowl on his face.

"What are you even doing here!?"

Kijima appeared to be the only one out of the loop, "Look kid," he began patronizingly, "We can sign some autographs or whatever, but not with that attitude."

Ren was the only one to catch the absolutely horrified delight on Kyoko's face as she smothered her response and heard what Kijima said.

Fuwa shot Kijima a nasty look, "I wasn't talking to you, you ass."

He strode nearer to Kyoko and grabbed her arm, "What are you doing here?!"

Ren shot him a glare, but Kyoko snatched her arm free, "I don't have to answer that! As a matter of fact, what are _you_ doing here?"

Ren flexed his fingers, and curled them into fists, then relaxed them again. He was doing his best to keep a cool head, but the many instances of his firsthand accounts of how Fuwa and Kyoko interacted had his worry being compounded with frustration.

"I'm here for work! And clearly you are not," He leveled the group with a sneer that had more than a few hackles rising.

Kotonami-san was the first to speak, as Kyoko appeared to be speechless with anger for the moment.

"You're working? At night? With no crew? Don't make me laugh," Kanae said flatly. "You're probably just here to ditch work, like the brat you are."

Fuwa's aggravation seemed to increase, "It's called songwriting!"

"It's called, be a little more respectful to your elders," said Oohara-san witheringly.

Kyoko's mouth dropped open in shock and Ren had to struggle to not laugh at the look on Fuwa's face. By far, this was the best way this could have possibly gone. His temper was practically non-existent now as he saw their coworkers defending Kyoko against Fuwa.

Fuwa's scowl deepened, but he only looked back at Kyoko without addressing the others, "So that's how it is. Others have to fight your battles for you? You can't even answer what I've asked?"

"That is quite enough," Kyoko's voice was quiet, but no less sharp for the fury that unfurled over the words that she spoke. The rest of them stared at her, a little concerned, but she spoke again.

"This isn't a battle Shotaro," Kyoko said, disgusted, "This was you interrupting my night out with my friends. And for what?"

There was a telling silence.

"What is the excuse this time Shotaro?" She folded her arms and stared him down. If Ren had ever witnessed Fuwa being sheepish, it might have been just then.

Fuwa tried to speak, shut his mouth, then opened it and tried one more time, looking sheepishly bewildered, which entertained Ren to no end.

"Well, shouldn't I get to know what you're up to? You're supposed to be working your ass off to beat me right? You don't have time to...to…" he cast his gaze about the group of them, and then noticed Ren's hand on Kyoko's waist. Fuwa shot him a look of absolute loathing that Ren did his best to return with the calmest expression he could muster.

Fuwa sneered, "You don't have time to go playing around with trash."

Ren wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure the shocked gasps came from Itsumi-san and Oohara-san.

Kyoko seemed to be overcome with fury, too much to speak. Fuwa seemed satisfied to see that and spoke again.

"Or is this one of those times you're taking advantage of your guiding light, as you said you would? Are you learning as much as you can from him?" His tone of voice was particularly vicious, and Ren had swallow back furious words as Kyoko went completely still.

"Kyoko," Ren ducked down so he could whisper in her ear in English, his grip tightening on her waist, "Kyoko, do not let him get to you. What do stupid boys want? To get away with this kind of bullshit. _Do not let him_."

As Ren caught sight of the look in her eyes, he straightened back up, a slow smile beginning to pull at his lips. He smirked at Fuwa, who seemed disconcerted to see it.

"Shotaro." Kyoko's voice was as viciously sweet as Ren had ever heard it. "Did you really come all the way over here, and cause such a ruckus, just because you were concerned about me?"

Fuwa blushed to the roots of his hair and opened his mouth to speak, but Kyoko continued.

"Because, as you can see, I have no need for your concern." She smiled at him, letting him bluster about for a moment. When it was clear he had no response for this, she spoke again.

"Shotaro, if that's all you needed, I'm going to return to visiting with my friends. After all, we wouldn't want to keep you from your work. That limelight is hard to keep you know, you'll need to do your best to make sure you don't lose it." With one last mocking smile, Kyoko turned on her heel, and strode away from him, the others falling in line behind her.

There was a lingering silence that didn't break until they reached the bar they were to meet Momose-san's manager at.

"Damn, Kyoko. Damn." Kanae's voice was admiring as she broke the silence. Ren let out a loud laugh and picked Kyoko up in huge hug and spun her around. Kijima-san, Oohara-san and Momose-san looked on, entertained by such behavior.

"Princess, that was a goddamn delight to witness. But tell me truthfully, how did it _feel_?" Ren let her down as he asked this, enjoying the beautiful flush suffusing Kyoko's features.

Kyoko smiled back at the group around her, "Really, _really_ nice."

Oohara-san and Itsumi-san smiled and then each reached around her to tuck her into three way hug.

"That nasty anteater got what he had coming, huh?" said Oohara-san, her tone slightly teasing.

"You can say that again," Itsumi-san answered her as they released Kyoko. Kijima let out a loud sigh.

"Boy have I missed this."

A ripple of amusement went through everyone, Kanae even softening enough to smile at Kyoko and give her a little hug. Soon after though, it was time to start saying their goodbyes as everyone went their separate ways, chattering excitedly about when they could meet up again.

As Kanae and Oohara-san were distracted by talking to Itsumi-san, Ren felt a hand creep into his own, and tighten, the fingers interlocking.

He looked down, not surprised to see a blushing Kyoko.

It was softly said, but that just made it sweeter to hear, "Thank you Ren."

Not caring what the others thought if they saw, he ducked a little to press a kiss to her hair, and whispered back, "It was my absolute pleasure."

...

And that's another chapter down.

I've had some seriously wonderful responses to my work recently. Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your days to let me know what you think.

Extra-special thank-yous to: Night's Warrior, artistofthemind, Vaeneri, Daamile, Ardsohulb, sbfan, UnicornForceWinds, Aikori, Blushweaver

 **Extra, extra special thank you to brennakai.** I genuinely would not have gotten this chapter out this quickly without your help brennakai. Much love!

Regards, artsy


	4. Chapter 4

Well, well, well. Here's chapter four. Questions are asked. Questions are answered. And oh, what's this? Is that a lil progress that can be seen?

Enjoy!

…

Oohara Airi stepped off set with her co-stars close behind her when Director Shingai said the scene was a go, and struggled to smother a yawn. Kotonami-san, Nakano-san and Airi were midway through a day of scenes for episode three and the day had started at five in the morning. Airi would be grateful to see her bed that night she thought, as she stretched a bit before wardrobe scurried over to them. As she was a focal character for this episode, she'd known that would mean long days of shooting, but nevertheless, she'd forgotten how much that type of work took it out of her.

Airi looked up curiously when she heard Nakano-san make a sly joke that had Kotonami-san snorting softly. She followed the direction of their gaze, and caught sight of Tsuruga-san flipping the pages of his script at a side table off set in a bored fashion. She frowned a little, then heard Nakano-san mutter again.

"That act is so obvious to see through."

Airi saw Kotonami-san roll her eyes, but the younger girl said nothing. Airi approved. It was one thing to chat about co-stars at a dinner, with them around, and entirely another to spread gossip while working. Though, Airi wasn't too sure what had caught Nakano-san's eye.

Airi watched carefully, while wardrobe adjusted their makeup and clothing for their next scene, and saw it after a moment. Tsuruga-san had stopped flipping through pages and was studying the people around Director Shingai. Airi thought she might get it then. No one held Tsuruga-san's attention like that except Mogami-san. Airi peered around the shoulder of the crew member brushing dust off her kimono, and indeed saw Mogami-san in a discussion with the director and Atsushi-san.

A surge of sympathy went through her. She knew how tough it was to keep to strictly professional behavior while working with a person you really liked. She caught Nakano-san's soft laugh and heard her speak up again.

"Poor guy. He's not even supposed to be here on set for another hour. He _must_ be a little lovesick. No other explanation for it."

Airi frowned again, but before she could step up and defend him, a sharp retort came from Kotonami-san.

"That's hardly likely. You know his reputation. He's probably waiting to ask the director something about his scene and decided to come in early."

Nakano-san shrugged lightly, "Sure, why not. Or, alternately, I'm right."

Kotonami-san looked like she might say something else but then Nakano-san and she were called onto set to resume their roles as the Akiyama sisters again.

Director Shingai wasn't one to really let gossip get out about his productions, so Nakano-san's thoughts were hardly likely to be spread around. That logic didn't keep Airi from feeling some concern over such bold speculation though. She glanced between her costars' retreating backs and to where Tsuruga-san sat as she pondered this. It was typical for people to be curious when people they had familiarity with acted unlike themselves. She knew that well enough, and had experience with it herself, but something kept her from pushing it from her mind.

Maybe she was actually just worried about Tsuruga-san. He was always so controlled and closed-off, except when Mogami-san was concerned. That type of behavior had always had her assuming that he was actually extremely introverted, outside of his professional facade. She knew what that was like. But, maybe, maybe he also just needed a little bit of support? She was leery of trying that herself, as she thought she might be overstepping their boundaries. Still, she couldn't help but think that maybe he'd be more comfortable opening up around people if someone approached him first.

She thought back to how content he'd been a few days ago at their dinner, and how playful he could actually be when he relaxed. She had a particular selfie that came to mind then, but she shook that thought away with a sigh. It'd be a shame if Tsuruga-san kept that part of himself buried just because it didn't jive with the image he'd created for himself. He should have the opportunity to relax that facade sometimes. Airi assumed that it was only because Dark Moon was one of those rare series that had to be worked on for so long that he was as comfortable as he actually was around them.

Airi smiled ruefully as she was called onto set. She had a feeling her sympathetic nature had already decided her course of action.

…

A half a week after their night out, Ren's impulsiveness caught up with him. He'd been between scenes in the studio set they'd been shooting in for episode three. The schedule for this episode meant he only appeared in a couple of the orphanage scenes, and a few other miscellaneous scenes. So, as he'd only been lightly scheduled, he'd taken the time to linger on set and observe how the rest of the cast interactions were developing in his down time between scenes.

That was his excuse anyway. And that meant Yashiro left him to his own devices and went and helped Kyoko whenever it seemed she might need it. In reality, he was completely absorbed in watching the play of light over Kyoko's face as she laughed with her best friend as they acted together.

She'd said once to him, a few weeks ago, that she was jumping on this chance with all that she had. Kyoko was relishing in every single second, because she had no idea when she'd ever again get the opportunity to do something so meaningful, and something so fun, ever again. The passion that had lit her face as she had spoken had made Ren want to whisper promises into her skin that he would do whatever it took, so that she could hold the whole world in the palm of her hand.

He'd swallowed the words; bitten his tongue so harshly it had bled so the words would not escape. If she never fathomed the depth of his longing, the depth of his feelings for her, it would be a relief. To scare her away now with them, the thought was untenable. He _had_ to be patient. He could not lose her now.

Ren's thoughts were thusly embroiled as he watched Kyoko weave together flowers as her character created beautiful floral accents and decorations for her best friend Mi-chan's wedding.

"Tsuruga-san? Is this spot free?"

Startled out of his musings, Ren looked up, into the faintly amused face of Oohara-san, "Ah yes, it is. Please, feel free."

Oohara-san settled in, and she adjusted the chair so she looked in the same direction, towards the part of the set he was watching. Ren tried his best to emanate nonchalance as she did this, and he glanced over the script that had been in his hands. It was a wasted effort, however, as Oohara-san slid her phone over the surface of the table he'd been sitting at with a damning image on its screen.

Ren closed his eyes for a short moment after viewing it, and pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Go ahead Oohara-san. Tell me what a fool I am."

The picture wasn't damning in an immediately apparent way. Momose-san and Oohara-san had simply been getting one last selfie before they'd parted ways presumably, but they had caught the moment in the background in which Ren had leaned over and pressed a kiss to Kyoko's hair. Ren hadn't cared then, but of course it mattered.

Ren waited, a hair's breadth away from true panic, but Oohara-san simply studied him carefully for a moment. She slid her phone back over to herself, turned the screen off, and put it away.

"Did you know," she began conversationally, as if she was commenting on the weather instead of the precariously balanced and practically nonexistent lovelife of Tsuruga Ren, "That I fell in love for the first time the day I turned 18?"

Ren blinked, unsure that he understood the non sequitur. He decided to go ahead and play along anyway. It would at least, help keep his panic at bay.

"I don't think it's ever come up, no."

Oohara-san smiled softly, and played with her sleeves a little, "Yep. Oh, and I was naive about it too. It was my first day being on set in a film production in which I had my first major speaking role. I was oh, I don't know, I guess, dazzled by it all. The director was intense, absolutely brilliant, and he said maybe two sentences to me when we first met, and that was it. That's all it took."

Ren was suddenly intensely uncomfortable at witnessing the loving expression on her face, and instead studied the wood grain of the table and the stains left behind by his coffee mug. He cleared his throat once he realized she was waiting for some sort of response.

"That's ah, pretty typical I suppose. It's easy to be swept up in a forceful personality. Ah, were your feelings reciprocated then? This appears to be a happy memory."

Oohara-san's lips twisted, fond remembrance fading from her features. Ren winced; he clearly still had no idea how to appropriately approach topics such as this. Kotonami Kanae's scoffs of disbelief echoed in his memory and he metaphorically kicked himself for putting his foot in it.

"They weren't, no," said Oohara-san.

Ren nodded along, extremely uncertain about how to respond, and felt increasingly foolish as seconds ticked on by.

"But it was still one of the best weeks of my life. Do you know why?"

Ren squirmed uneasily, acutely aware of the years of experience Oohara-san had on him on this topic when faint wrinkles appeared at the corner of her eyes when she smiled.

"Ah, I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because being in love made me bold, it made me confident. It is still one of my favorite acting jobs I've ever had because I was able to reach parts of my inner self and express emotions I never thought I'd be able to on screen." she said this so matter-of-factly that Ren couldn't help but hold her steady gaze as she spoke.

"It made me freer, more daring. It made me less self-conscious. My part was of a girl hopelessly in love, who became bitter and twisted over it not being returned. In total, my part couldn't have had more than twenty minutes of run-time in that production. I still consider it some of my strongest work." Ren fully understood the implications behind Oohara-san's words, but he remained silent as she studied him for a moment. Oohara-san tapped her fingernails against the tabletop, then spoke again, elaborating further.

"During that entire week, I just, I _lived_. I did my work, and I lived, and I loved. I experienced things I never thought I would. _Passion_ Tsuruga-san, is an amazing thing. I know now that I was caught up in the exhilarating feeling of someone intense and passionate about their work."

"That sounds like a uh, a pretty remarkable time in your life." Ren murmured, knowing it was a weak response and insincere to boot, but his emotions were still too tangled up in confusion for him to try to be anything other than polite. Oohara-san sighed.

"Do you think that I am still upset over it? Ten years Iater?" Ren looked away from the faint reproach in her face, his stomach churning with nerves.

"Because I'm not. We are only human Tsuruga-san. And we are young. We still have quite a bit of growing up to do. And if what we experience also helps us with the work we want to accomplish, I say, bring it on."

Ren's expression must have been one of surprise because Oohara-san laughed a little, then said, "It's true you know. There's no need to look so surprised."

When silence fell between them for a moment, Ren's gaze was pulled back to Kyoko. Her hair was currently the black of Yoneda Yayoi's, with hair extensions like what she'd worn as Setsuka, but still Ren ached to run his hands through it, to draw her attention away from the others, to keep all of her focus on him, on _them,_ on _us_. His train of thought had him vaguely remembering the moment when he affixed the ribbon back into her hairstyle the other day, and the pang of longing that shot through him was very nearly a physical thing.

Kyoko's attention was directed away somewhere else just then, and when she turned, the curve of her jaw and her profile were brought sharply into relief. It was in those moments, when the light hit her just right, that Ren recognized the woman that she would become. He'd fallen into the habit of teasing her by calling her _princess_ on occasion since their fun little balcony encounter. She tended to call him her _dashing knight_ in return, and the thought always brought a small smile to his face. Still, it was in these particular moments that Ren knew she was destined to grow past that nickname.

Oohara-san sighed, and Ren looked over at her, curious now about what else she might have to say. She'd already barged through his cool, collected exterior and had addressed the huge torch he was carrying around with him, where apparently, everyone could see it. Ren wasn't really able to analyze what type of expression was on her face. Perhaps it was sympathy, perhaps it was concern. He swallowed hard, and returned to studying the wood grain of the table.

"We experience nothing from the chances that we never take." said Oohara-san finally. Ren's fist in his lap tightened minutely, before he forced it to smooth back out. He was distracted from it when she leaned in across the table, her voice lowered.

"You have an opportunity, Tsuruga-san. One that many others would give their entire lives to have. I do not know your story, I am not asking for it. But take it from someone that has watched you two for a while. Whatever it is that holds you back, ultimately, it will not matter." Oohara-san sent him a soft, supportive smile.

Ren wondered if his behavior was obvious to everyone he worked with. _But no, Oohara-san did specify she'd been watching us a while_. Maybe he wasn't so pathetically obvious then? He got distracted from this morose train of thought when Oohara-san spoke again, her words fervent, and her eyes full of sympathy.

"Say you live ten more years, say you live a hundred more, but, _live your best life._ Do not leave it like this, where you believe you are foolish for taking the littlest chances, just because someone might happen to see it. _You deserve better_ than regretting not taking the chance _. She_ deserves better."

Ren stared blankly at the table as Oohara-san finished saying her piece, numbly recognizing when she stood up and strolled away, back to her designated chair closer to the set. His head was reeling, and his emotions were in a jumble. With a groan, he tossed his script onto the table and pressed his face into his hands and rubbed.

…

The thing about episode three, in Kyoko's mind at least, was that the orphanage scenes then became an imperative part of the subtext. On the surface, they were simply there to emphasize Daisuke and Yayoi becoming pillars of their community. It was not until the end of the episode, after all the wedding preparation with the Akiyamas, that Yumika read Yayoi's diary and gained her first inkling of the truth. That is, that Yayoi's reasons for going and volunteering there were _incredibly_ different from what Daisuke believed them to be. Daisuke being an orphan himself, simply believed that Yayoi volunteered her time when he did, in support of him. He thought it only a sweet gesture on her part.

But when Yumika read Yayoi's diary, an entry from the summer she turned fifteen, Yumika would become regretful of how she'd behaved towards her sister since they had fought the night before Yayoi's wedding to Daisuke. This was due in part to the diary entry and what it revealed, but also because Yumika would come to the realization that her and her sister might have had more in common than Yumika would have thought.

Kyoko pondered the circumstances that surrounded this scene as she waited for Shingai to call action. She'd been relieved and pleased that she could play fifteen-year-old Yayoi as she'd thought someone else might have had to. But, she'd been informed that it was still believable if she did so. Her thoughts were disrupted when Kyoko heard Shingai call to begin the scene and she began to stroll around the flowers of the garden.

She paused at a couple different markers as they had rehearsed earlier, so she could smell the fragrances of the blossoms, a contemplative mood overtaking her thoughts. It was an early morning scene, so it was a little chillier than she liked and she appreciated the warm layers of her kimono and the boots on her feet as she strolled. Shortly after she started strolling, a rustling caught Yayoi's attention, and she looked past the bushes of flowers and saw a young girl half jogging, half limping along down the path towards the orphanage, doing her best to keep a bundle cradled close to her chest.

Yayoi froze for a moment, before following. She had a bad feeling in her gut, but the girl had seemed to be crying, so Yayoi cursed herself, but followed. She kept quiet, and made sure to be unobtrusive, hoping to not startle the girl. After a few moments, (longer in reality as Shingai had her run during this scene a couple different ways, much to Kyoko's exasperation as she struggled with the kimono she was wearing while she did so), Yayoi caught up enough with the girl and saw her place the bundle on the orphanage's doorstep.

She heard a loud sob come from that direction, before the girl took off again. As the girl turned and fled back down the path, Yayoi gasped and pressed herself close to the tree she'd been hiding behind. She'd recognized that girl. She knew her from school. She'd disappeared months ago and her close friends had only shrugged and said that they'd thought she'd moved away.

It was a long moment before Yayoi could take it upon herself to move closer. The bad feeling in her gut only grew, and when she peeked in past the folds of the bundling, she saw a dark haired baby. It yawned, and blinked its eyes open a little. Yayoi closed her eyes, a pang of heartache surging through her. Her lips twisted into a bitter expression as she looked back out down the path.

The baby's eyes had been a bright blue. It wasn't the newborn natural blue either. The baby was clearly a few months old, as could be guessed by the couple teeth she'd seen when it had yawned. Yayoi stifled the urge to hold the child as it began to cry, and ran all the way back home until she found herself back in the gardens on the Yoneda land. She looked around at all their beautiful blossoms, but when she caught sight of their patch of baby's breath, the first tears escaped her, and her knees buckled and she landed hard on the grass.

Kyoko wrapped a hand around her stomach, and pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the sob. In that moment, she was both Yayoi and Kyoko. And her mind flashed to when she had watched Oohara-san and Sugaya-san weep in the inn, and knew she felt the first inkling of the experience they had had of being so attuned to their character. The emotional impact of Yayoi's character hadn't yet had the chance to hit her so hard however. That was new. She inhaled deep, and let her breath out slowly to calm herself down.

Shingai ended that scene there, and patted Kyoko on the back approvingly as she sniffled a bit before she got herself completely back under control. He helped her off set and sat her down in her chair. The scene itself was powerfully emotional, but the surrounding context of an underage girl bringing a biracial baby to an orphanage in this time had even more powerful implications. They'd had to be very, very careful with what they'd implied. Kyoko was relieved that Shingai approved of what she'd done. As well as nervous that she might be asked to do more reshoots, and therefore lessen her own emotional response that she was able to pull into her acting ability.

Kyoko sat and thought for a long moment in grim silence as the crew around her started rearranging things they needed to rearrange for the following scenes. When she wasn't asked to repeat the performance after a while, she relaxed a little more. Kyoko had done her best to not let her own personal issues influence her work in this scene, to pay respect to its emotional aspects. She had put her best effort in, and it had paid off it seemed. But as much as Kyoko did her best to not think it, the thought came anyway.

Had her own mother cried?

…

As the shooting of the week wound down on Friday afternoon a couple days later, Ren's conflicted thoughts and emotional upheaval still troubled him. They were down to the last orphanage scenes of episode three, and he was surrounded by easily excitable young ladies, who were all aflutter over being able to work with 'sexy young soldiers' as Ren had overheard one of them say. Mixed in amongst that were a gaggle of children that occasionally shrieked with delight as they ran around and played together, both on camera and off.

Ren had sighed many times throughout the day and thought often of escaping to the world outside of the orphanage set. Perhaps he might even grab a smoke break. Jack Taylor was yet another role in which he played a smoker, and Ren had begun to wonder, in a mostly amused fashion, if he would ever be able to escape that trope anytime in the near future.

Kyoko's laughter broke his thoughts, and while Ren stayed true to his professionalism in the scene his character was in with some of the extras, a majority of his focus then shifted to her. He strained his hearing, and caught another quiet giggle, and the words she spoke.

"Oh no Atsushi-san, geez, that sounds like a really bad day."

Ren barely caught Atsushi-san's dry response, "Does it? Being dunked in water repeatedly for dramatic effect, why that sounds positively _delightful."_

Kyoko giggled again and Ren realized he was gritting his teeth in frustration. That old familiar urge of _making_ Kyoko focus on him instead of anyone else surged within him, and left him breathless. He forced himself to think other thoughts, to get his mind off of it. _Premiere this weekend, premiere, think of the premiere._ Ren's frustration eased a bit as he did this, much to his relief.

Unfortunately, unlike episode two, where Jack and Yayoi connected over their mutual losses, episode three did not hold many scenes wherein Kyoko and Ren could work one on one together. Over the past week, the frustration within Ren of being unable to act opposite of her had begun to build. He'd been able to distract himself from it mostly by focusing on the military unit dynamics they really got to explore in episode three and four, which led up to the climax in episode five. But since Oohara-san had approached him a couple days ago, Ren had taken to fretting over his time with Kyoko-or the lack therein- and worrying at it like he would a sore bruise.

As he heard Shingai call cut, Ren forced down his worry, and stepped off set when they were given the all clear. He searched for Kyoko, but realized Shingai had swiftly moved on to the next part of the scene, where the focus was on Yayoi and her husband volunteering at the orphanage. Kyoko and Atsushi worked well together, and to Ren's eye, easily expressed a wholesome, sweet relationship of a loving couple that tried their best to help their community.

Ren's hands curled into fists as he watched it play out from where he had plopped down backwards in his chair, straddling it. His fists curled in tight, and then he forced them to release again. In an effort to look less like a crazy stalker, he crossed his arms over top of his chair, studied his shoes, and just breathed until he managed to wrangle his jealousy down to a more acceptable level.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Yashiro's voice popped up so close to him that he was startled. Ren forced himself to smooth out his features into a calm and neutral mask before he looked up at his manager and replied.

"I'm sorry?"

"Kyoko's development I mean. The last time I got the chance to watch those two together, Kyoko wasn't nearly so collected and professional. She was quite worried actually. It seems she and Atsushi-san have been able to build a good rapport together while they act."

"How nice for them." Ren muttered under his breath. He closed his eyes in despair when the words slipped out, but not soon enough to avoid Yashiro's evil grin.

"No need to worry Ren-kun. Just show him that _adorable_ picture of you two making a heart."

Ren cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair in aggravation.

Yashiro snickered. "I have actually been informed by Maria-chan that our wonderful president has printed out that image and taped it to their fridge. He's positively rapturous over it."

 _That does explain the unnecessary amount of hearts he sent me in his last text,_ thought Ren ruefully.

"I see that your emails with Maria-chan are as informative as ever." Ren said instead, in an attempt to switch the focus of the conversation.

"Well, it pays to have informants everywhere you know." replied Yashiro loftily.

"I shudder to think who your informant is among this cast," said Ren dryly. On Dark Moon, it had been Ogata. It'd be just his luck that Shingai and Yashiro might gossip about him behind his back or something to that effect.

Yashiro adjusted his glasses, then said, "Takimoto Misaki-san actually."

"Who?"

"The girl that works with Kyoko in the teahouse scenes. She has exceptional observational skills. She'd make a great manager. Pity that she seems enamored of the photography side of things."

"...I see."

Yashiro cut an amused glance to Ren, "She's quite intrigued by you two. And apparently she loves following Momose-san's twitter. Takimoto-san is a big fan of Momose-san. We had a delightful conversation about Dark Moon during one of her and Kyoko's breaks yesterday."

Ren willed himself to not sigh in exasperation. He'd be fifty and Momose-san would _still_ be messing with him, he was sure of it. _But_ , _maybe Kyoko would be around me enough then to protect me from her_ , Ren thought wistfully. It hadn't escaped his notice that when Momose-san was distracted by the more vivacious Kyoko, Ren was able to relax and didn't need to defend himself from Momose-san's taunting, as was evidenced by the night they'd all gone out. _I wonder if that means Momose-san has adopted me as the older brother she loves to mess with?_

Yashiro's expression grew more serious though, and that distracted Ren from the decidedly odd thought he'd just had.

"Yashiro-san?"

"Takimoto-san was also curious about rehearsing the end of episode four. It seems she's a little uncertain over how she should express herself in that scene."

Ren froze for a millisecond, then covered the misstep with a frown, "I don't see why. It seems to be a pretty straightforward scene to me."

"Mmhmm." Yashiro studied him carefully and Ren did his best to show only a slightly concerned expression.

"Perhaps we should go ahead and schedule some extra time for that?" Ren suggested casually, hoping to divert Yashiro's attention. When Yashiro pulled out his calendar and started muttering to himself, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Episode four,_ he thought, unnerved. He caught sight of Kyoko again, and some of the anxiety he had begun to feel dispersed. By the time he was called onto set again, he had convinced himself that he'd put it from his mind entirely. If Ren knew he was lying to himself, well, that was fine. It wasn't as if his problems would actually interfere with his work. He'd moved past that since his time as BJ.

…

Friday evening found Kyoko wandering around into the little kitchenette they had access to after hours in the building they were rooming in. It was a habit she'd gotten into in the past couple weeks, and if she was inclined to examine the reason why, she'd probably guess that she tended to find kitchens comforting. All you needed to do was make yourself up some calming tea, and simply decompress from the day as you finished off your cup.

These were the motions she was going through as she reflected on her work of the day, and once more felt the sting of guilt pierce through her. Kyoko had made one too many loud and sarcastic comments, and Atsushi-san, her partner in crime so to speak, had laughed a little too loudly a little too much. Near the end of the day, Shingai had taken her aside during one of their breaks, folded his arms, and just looked at her in such disappointment that she'd immediately blurted out apologies. She'd known immediately that she'd been a bit too rowdy while on set.

He'd held up a hand after a while, and asked, "Do you know why I took you aside?"

"My unprofessionalism?" Kyoko had suggested quietly, studying her hands instead of looking him in the eye. She'd known, no matter how irritated she'd gotten with all the extras fawning over the military section of the cast, that she should have kept her mouth shut. But as Ren had gotten increasingly exasperated throughout the day, at least from what she could tell, the harder and harder it'd been to keep quiet.

Shingai-san had sighed, "Yes Kyoko-san. I know you and Atsushi-san have been getting along better, which is good, and cracking jokes is something we all do, but one or the both of you should have known better with the second or third one."

Kyoko had nodded, overwhelmed with guilt. Shingai had just sighed again, "I wanted to talk to you specifically about this behavior, but not to call you out over it or to make you feel bad."

Kyoko had peeked up at him, a little thrown as he'd smiled down at her. "I just wanted to make you aware that your own behavior has shown me that you expect the best from yourself, professionally speaking. I admire that a great deal. Are you disappointed with your behavior today?"

He'd arched his eyebrows questioningly and Kyoko couldn't help but nod. By that late in the day, she had actually felt really terrible about it.

"Then I guess we're done here. Go out there with a better attitude, and get the work finished."

She'd bowed and thanked him but he'd replied, "Don't thank me Kyoko-san, I'm simply holding you to your own standard of professionalism. If you expect better of yourself, I will not let that behavior slide. I can guarantee that."

On the one hand she had appreciated the reminder, and on the other, she'd only felt even worse after someone else had pointed it out to her. She sighed, and stared out the window as she sipped on her tea. She was hoping it would ease her nerves and her bad feelings.

She was halfway through her cup when Takashi Chiyo entered as well, rubbing at the back of her neck and looking tired. She lowered the light switch at the doorway of the room, so that the light was dimmer and let out a small yawn as she looked around.

"Takashi-san! Good evening!" Kyoko greeted her softly, as she straightened from where she'd been leaning against the windowsill. She wondered if Takashi-san might have a headache, but refrained from asking. It would be rude to pry.

"Good evening Kyoko-san. Is the water in the kettle still hot?" asked Takashi-san.

Kyoko nodded to let her know it was. Kyoko watched her meander around and make her own cup of tea, curious as to the reason why the writer lingered there after her cup was made up. But Takashi-san just sipped at her tea and leaned up against the countertop, without providing an immediate answer. Frequently, Kyoko spent this time of day in the kitchenette by herself. It wasn't often that someone else also stumbled in for anything.

In order to avoid appearing rude though, Kyoko simply drank her tea, and looked out of the window at the mountain outlined along the horizon. The moon was full and heavy, and that brought the mountain into sharp relief against the starry night sky. Kyoko appreciated the elegance and beauty to be found in such a scene.

"I hear you all are moving onto episode four on Monday," said Takashi-san eventually. Kyoko's curious nature reasserted itself then.

"Ah yes, was that one of the things you wished to see yourself?" Kyoko asked. Takashi-san wasn't spending all of the location shoot with them, as much of her business could be done through conference calls and she had many obligations in Tokyo. Kyoko wondered if that's why Takashi-san appeared tired. Perhaps she'd just arrived on location?

"It is," Takashi-san murmured in response as she sipped her tea. "I'll be here for a couple weeks, then return to Tokyo, but I'll be back for the last few days of the on-location shoot."

Kyoko nodded to show she understood and they sipped their tea in silence for another quiet moment.

"Have you set up rehearsals for it yet?"

"Ah, for episode four? I haven't, no." said Kyoko, attention drawn away from the window and back to the writer.

"Hmmm. Interesting."

Kyoko felt slightly guilty about that, but she and Ren both had business to attend to in Tokyo tomorrow, so while the others may have been able to set up rehearsals over the weekend, she herself had not. She had taken the time to thoroughly read the script though, and while she had her misgivings, she was more certain than she'd ever been that her determination to do well would see her through. She would simply not accept anything less.

"What do you think of your ending scene?" asked Takashi-san.

"Ah, at the docks? Poignant, I think is the best descriptor that can come to mind. Horribly difficult, and terribly poignant." When Takashi-san's brow wrinkled, Kyoko wished her response hadn't been so blunt.

As Kyoko was about to open her mouth to apologize, Takashi frowned a little, "I meant at the teahouse. The scene that has your ending dialogue of the episode."

Kyoko was suddenly and intensely fascinated by the rim of her tea cup. She held out for one painful moment, but the pressure of the silence undid her resolve and she found herself blurting out another blunt reply.

"Also terribly difficult. You are an incredible writer Takashi-sensei, make no mistake. But it's those kinds of scenes that makes people like me fearful of their own ability to portray what you want."

She had thought this frequently throughout the day, and had been unable to do anything other than keep it all bottled up inside. She was fully prepared to withstand a tongue-lashing for saying so. She stood there and stared at Takashi-san, trying to figure out what she might have been thinking; but Takashi-san just sent her a small smile, and took a sip of her tea.

"Good. It should make you uneasy. If you had said you thought you would have no problem with it, I would have been disappointed."

Kyoko got the distinct feeling that she might have just passed another test Takashi-san had set to her.

"Any advice then, Takashi-sensei?"

Takashi-san took a final sip of her tea, and set the cup down on the countertop once she was finished. "Practice makes perfect, Kyoko-san. Only you can know what way will work best for you. Practice, practice, practice."

Kyoko smiled ruefully at the answer. They stood there for a while longer, and then Takashi-san spoke again, "If there's anything I can tell you as a writer that would be helpful, it would be this. This is the moment that breaks Jack Taylor. This is the moment in which he decides to drown, or to swim to shore. Yoneda Yayoi makes that moment for Jack Taylor. Jack Taylor's response to her is what makes Yoneda Yayoi decide her path as well. This is the crossroads. Do you understand?"

Kyoko swallowed, and her nerves returned in full force at the intensity of the look Takashi-san shot her. But she nodded, and Takashi-san continued.

"What Yoneda Yayoi communicates in that moment must be absolutely clear. It must be shown in how she stands, in how her hands are placed, in how she tilts her head. _Everything_ about Yoneda Yayoi matters in that one moment. Of course, that _always_ matters, but in that moment it must be so apparent that a five year old can tell." Takashi-san held her gaze for a while longer, before Kyoko had to look away, uncomfortable and unsure.

Takashi-san sighed and stretched a little as she stood from where she had been leaning against the counter. As the writer's soft goodbye drifted her way as she exited the room, Kyoko let her cup clatter onto the counter and she just stood there staring at it for a moment. The answer had been just as she had expected. Takashi-san's eyes had glittered with expectation and Kyoko grimly shored up her resolve. Kyoko _would not_ let Takashi-san down. Not now, not after everything Kyoko had already pushed herself to accomplish for this production. It would simply be unacceptable to Kyoko for her to do anything less than her absolute best.

Kyoko blew out a sigh and fished her phone out of her pocket. _Princess paging Dashing Knight. Beep beeeep! We need to figure out rehearsal times for Act 4. Respond when you can. -K_ She decided to add a smiley face, for good measure.

Kyoko waited for a few minutes to see if he would respond, and even cleaned up the tea things while she did so. Eventually, she realized that he must have gone to sleep early, because her phone didn't once buzz with a response during the following hour. She couldn't do much but sigh and go to bed herself then. Hopefully, they could just work it out tomorrow on the way into Tokyo.

…

It was Kyoko half humming, half singing that roused Kanae from the depths of sleep. Kanae cracked an eyelid open, and caught side of Kyoko lacing up her sandals and standing. Kanae let out a quiet grumble but the soft singing started up again and drowned her out. She squeezed her eyes shut again.

"... Ooooh whooooooa, would we love the sunshine if it never raiiiined..."

Kyoko was standing at their joint vanity mirror, combing and styling her hair and putting on lipgloss when Kanae looked her way again.

Kanae blinked then as she finally realized how fashionably Kyoko was styling herself for the day. _Wait a minute. Today is the day she goes back to Tokyo._ Confusion cleared up, Kanae slipped out of bed and padded over to the restroom to also start getting ready.

When Kanae reentered the room, Kyoko was smiling softly down at her phone. Kanae cocked her head, curious at who had put such a sweet look on her face. Kyoko looked up then, and smiled at Kanae.

"Moko-san! Morning!"

"Ah, morning."

"I was about to go down. Did you want to join me?"

Kanae stifled a yawn, then nodded. Once they'd settled in to eat some breakfast down in the dining hall, Kyoko brought up possible rehearsal times for the week. They were finishing up drawing up a tentative schedule when Kyoko's phone buzzed at her.

She glanced over at it, and typed out a quick reply as she and Kanae wrapped up their discussion. Kanae was mostly awake at this point, and still curious.

"Well?" Kanae quirked a questioning eyebrow at her.

Kyoko mumbled something as she shut her planner and tucked her pen into the spiral binding.

"Hmmm?" Kanae asked. "What was that?"

Kyoko flushed, but spoke louder. "It was just Tsuruga-san letting me know he was waiting for me in the lobby."

Kanae checked her watch, confused, "It's not even ten yet. Why are you leaving so early?"

"Maria-chan." said Kyoko, as if that explained everything. Kanae was amused, but understood. That did in fact, explain everything that needed explained.

They stood and strolled out to the lobby, tossing their breakfast trays where they needed to go on the way. Kanae had to smother a snicker as they caught sight of Nick-san and Tsuruga-san leaning up against the wall near the coffee machine, their faces tired and pale. Nick's eyes were closed as he had leaned his head back against the wall, but Tsuruga-san seemed preoccupied with studying his coffee suspiciously. Such behavior was a classic sign of a hangover.

"Have a good night then?" Kyoko asked, her voice louder than it needed to be and just as perky. Kanae did snicker then as both of the men flinched a little. It seemed Kyoko had recognized that the men must have been hungover in some fashion as well.

Nick peered at them, took a swig of his coffee, then stared some more. The girls just stared back, amused. Tsuruga muttered something into his coffee that neither of the girls caught.

"You look lovely today Mogami-san." Tsuruga-san's gaze snapped away from his coffee as Nick said this, and Kanae hid a smirk.

Kyoko, predictably, blushed, but said, "Thank you Nick-san."

"I haven't seen you wear that dress before. It's really nice, is it new?" Nick asked amiably.

Kyoko nodded, looking pleased at the compliment. Nick opened his mouth again, and Kanae was interested to see how Tsuruga would react if Nick kept up with the compliments. But Tsuruga cut in just as Nick spoke.

"Mogami-

"Nick." Tsuruga's voice was hard, and Kanae was intrigued by the glittering smile that appeared on his face. She wondered if this was the infamous angry smile Kyoko feared so much. She swept her eyes towards Kyoko, who did indeed look a great deal more nervous than she had a moment ago.

"Hmm?" Nick looked over at Ren, waiting to hear what the other man wanted, and appeared to completely forget that he'd been talking to Kyoko.

"Didn't you need to see a man about a harmonica?" The others stared at him, nonplussed. Then Nick's face brightened.

"Oh that's right! The dinner tomorrow!" Nick waved goodbye to them, and hurried out the lobby doors.

The moment of silence that followed his exit stretched on uncomfortably long enough that it made Kanae twitchy. So she broke the silence.

"Kyoko. You should go grab your purse. You don't want to leave that behind."

Kyoko nodded, still looking a little uneasy, but scurried off back to their room.

Kanae shot Ren a withering glare. "Did you seriously have to act so childishly just now? You have to know Nick-san is in a committed relationship."

Ren groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Of course I know tha-wait, how do you know that?"

Kanae rolled her eyes, "Because I talk to my coworkers, obviously. Nick-san is crazy about him, it's come up."

Kanae stared in disbelief as Ren hunched his shoulders, looking for all the world like a sulky child as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You can't seriously think that Kyoko approves of that kind of behavior? You're just making it more difficult for her to take you seriously."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair, "You know Kotonami-san, some days we humans wake up feeling like mature adults, and sometimes we don't. And _sometimes_ ," Ren frowned back down at his cup, before he looked up again, aggravation apparent on his features, " _Sometimes_ we get irrational over stupid stuff. Can you blame me for wanting to be the one to put that look on her face?" Ren shot her a challenging stare, but Kanae couldn't spit out a good enough rejoinder to all that, and instead just said,

"Well you're self-aware at least."

"I'm afraid I am." Ren muttered back down at his cup.

Kanae frowned as she studied him and he huffed out a small, self-deprecating laugh.

"You know, the very first thing she respected me for, was my maturity. Nowadays, I can't seem to grasp that even when I'm trying to with all my power. Hell, most of the time, I don't even want to try to _be_ mature. I just want to shake her free of her typical professionalism and just ahhhh…I've said too much."

Ren shot Kanae a rueful look that actually made her stop frowning.

"But we're two peas in a pod aren't we Kotonami-san? She just messes us up and drives us crazy. I imagine that might just be part of the reason we stick around huh?"

The all too knowing look in his eye had Kanae flushing, and she looked away guiltily. She hurried to change the topic.

"Uh huh, sure. So tell me, I'm curious, when you two have problems, does immaturity work better than say, that reliable attitude you had when you happened across us arguing in the locker room over the summer?"

Ren shrugged, a gesture that had Kanae sighing at its predictability.

"Some advice then Tsuruga-san," Kanae said with some asperity, "If you want to see that smile you love so much, try actually _talking_ about your problems. And do it before they explode in your face. I know, it'll be difficult. But you're a big boy, I believe in you."

Kanae left him there with that declaration, more aggravated by the whole nonsense than she was willing to admit out loud. She couldn't believe she'd gotten so riled up over Kyoko and Ren's issues _again_. She huffed and muttered to herself,

"This better not become a habit."

…

When Kyoko reentered the lobby after grabbing what she needed, she saw Tsuruga-san standing by himself, once more contemplating his coffee with a frown.

"I'll try this again shall I?" Kyoko teased as she walked up and he looked over at her, "Good morning. Have a nice night?"

A sheepish smile came over his face, and Ren said, "Nick suggested beer pong. We had no beer. But he did have whisky. I may have a bit of a headache."

Kyoko giggled at his hangdog expression, "Poor thing. Maria-chan did want lunch with us though. Will you make it to Tokyo?"

"Course I will. Won't be a problem. Shall we?" He gestured to the doors and Kyoko smiled and fell in step with him.

Once they were on their way in Ren's car, Kyoko broached last night's topic again.

"Did you actually get my text about rehearsal last night?"

"Not last night no, kind of glanced over it this morning. What were you thinking? We have that first scene ah, Monday right?"

"Yeah, I don't think we can fit a rehearsal in for that. Director Shingai said we're running behind by about a day, so I think the shooting schedule is tight then."

"Hmm, well, how about this, how about we put it from our minds today, as we don't have Yashiro-san here, and he's the one with my schedule. What do you say?"

Kyoko frowned, "Is it ok to keep it until tomorrow? I could just give him a call now and check."

Ren went ahead and tried to soothe her worry by squeezing her hand a little with his own, before placing his hand back on his steering wheel.

"Hey, don't worry, I think we'll be able to manage. It's good to make sure we keep that in mind, but our priority today is the premiere. We don't want to be consumed with the stress of this production and make missteps at the premiere, right?"

Some of Kyoko's worry did clear up at that. "Yes, that does make sense."

Ren reached out to ruffle her hair and he shot her a smile, "I know shooting will be difficult for episode four, especially since we won't have a lot chance for possible reshoots since we need to spend so much time on episode five, but I trust that we'll be able to get through it, so long as we make sure to depend on each other."

Kyoko returned his smile, her worry firmly put aside by that remark. They drove along in silence for a while, before Kyoko had another thought bother her enough for her to ask another question.

"Tsuruga-san, why am I here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I could support you today, but I am curious. I have been since you first invited me."

Ren shrugged, "Who better to be here with me?"

"You've said that before. It made me think. Wouldn't Director Konoe, or the president, be better to join you? They were certainly more involved with the whole process of you being Cain Heel and BJ."

Ren shot her a wry glance, "Involved for longer perhaps, but they were not 'more involved'. Not by a long shot. I've said before that I don't know that I would have even been able to complete the work without you there."

Kyoko was pondering that, when she was suddenly horrified by a thought that struck her. Kyoko swung her gaze towards Ren and demanded, "Wait, did the president have us become the Heel siblings because you told him about us as kids? Does he know about us? About that time when we were kids in Kyoto?"

"What? No! God, no! I have told no one about that. No," Ren was so fervent that Kyoko then felt a little insulted.

"Geez, alright. I thought, well I don't know what I thought. The president's reasoning was so mysterious at the time," she huffed a little and turned back to her passenger side window.

Ren studied her for a moment out of the corner of his eye.

"I imagine that yeah, normally people do discuss things like happy memories. But ah, I'm a little self-conscious if you haven't noticed. Especially about things that are important to me. I kind of hoard them a little. I'm selfish like that."

Kyoko couldn't help but smile as she noticed the light blush on his face. Sometimes Ren was too cute for her to pretend to not notice. She was distracted from that train of thought when he let out a heavy sigh.

"God, I don't think I even talked about that when I had to see a grief counselor. I sure don't remember if I did at least."

Kyoko blinked, the only indicator of her surprise, "You had to see a grief counselor?" As soon as the question left her, she wished that it never had. Not only was it rude to pry, it was a dumb thing to ask. Of course he should have.

But Ren only nodded and said, "Stipulation of being in LME's employ. The president needed to be reassured that I wouldn't spiral when my grief or my depression overwhelmed me. He made me see a counselor once a week for a while. I had to talk about at least one thing when I saw the counselor. Didn't have to be about my problems, but I had to talk at least a little."

Kyoko always marveled whenever this side of Ren came out. This open and honest man that was so comfortable with her that he didn't mind explaining things that mattered to him. And her heart ached for the boy that had had to learn the hard way how to deal with his issues. Ren spoke up again.

"There's this trick they have you do when you feel like you're drowning under all your problems. They have you think of a place that you want to be, of a place that makes you happy. And you just stop, and focus on that, and hopefully, it keeps you from spiraling."

"What would you think of?" Kyoko almost bit her tongue when she asked. It was yet another horribly rude question. She was however, undeniably fascinated by this side of Ren that he liked to keep hidden away.

He sent her a sad smile before he turned his focus back to the road, "That forest of course. With that river and the sunlight streaming in through the canopy of the trees." Kyoko suddenly understood with crystal clarity why this had come to mind for Ren when she'd asked about it.

"Even though they asked, I never even explained what helped. I'm pretty selfish huh?" he darted a glance at her, clearly nervous to hear her response.

Kyoko shook her head, "No, I don't think you are. Not with this. You're a private sort of person. Honestly, it's a privilege that you do explain things to me that matter to you. It makes me feel special." This last bit she said very quietly, shy to admit it, but wanting to share with him as he'd shared with her.

Ren's hand trailed back down to her hands that were clasped together in her lap and he held them tight for a moment, then let them go.

"Of course you're special. Don't ever doubt that, ok?" his voice was so achingly gentle when he said that, that she had to quickly blink back tears.

She nodded, so he knew she had heard him and Kyoko heard a soft laugh come from his direction and felt his hand ruffling her hair. Her head was bowed so her hair hid her face, and Ren never noticed the small, secret smile that crossed her face.

…

"Hey sleepyhead, we're here." Kyoko was shaken gently awake and she blinked her eyes open after a second, stifling a yawn as best she could as she stretched. Ren hid a smile as he watched her do this. Shortly after their earlier discussion, Kyoko had fallen into a light doze and Ren had been a little relieved. He always felt somewhat scraped raw whenever they talked about emotionally heavy issues.

Kyoko stretched once more once when stepped out of his car.

"Is everyone else here already?" she asked.

"I believe so."

They were proven correct when Ten-san met them in the lobby to escort them up to the hotel room the president had arranged for their use near the theater. Ren followed along affably as Ten-san and Kyoko chatted about the dress Saishi had designated for her to wear for the evening, and the jewelry and shoes Ten-san had found to pair with it.

When Ren opened the door to the room as they came upon it, a figure leapt out at him in a haze of curls and strawberry-scented shampoo.

"Ren-sama! I've missed you so muuuch!" Ren laughed and gave Maria-chan a tight squeeze, but she soon squirmed away, yelling about her big sister.

The next hour was consumed by Ren and Kyoko having lunch with Maria-chan and Ten-san (with ice cream for dessert). Afterwards, the girls decided to do their nails together, and Ren caught up on his email correspondence that he'd been neglecting since the day before (although Maria-chan made a persuasive case for him to get a pedicure, he eventually just had to say no). Shortly after that, Lory and Ruto showed up and Ren coordinated with them about the evening's dinner and travel plans. By then, the girls had moved on to creating voodoo dolls with scraps of fabric and stuffing that Maria-chan had brought along.

Once their plans were finalized, Ren went off to one of the en-suite bathrooms (he was not surprised by the luxurious accommodations as Lory always insisted on them) to put on his evening garb. When he reemerged, he was surprised to see only Maria-chan at one of the tables of the room.

"Where's your grandfather Maria-chan?"

"He and Sebastian-san went some place."

"Sebastian-san?"

"Kyoko onee-san calls Ruto-san that when she thinks he can't overhear."

Ren laughed a little and shook his head, "Well Maria-chan, how do I look?"

Maria looked up from her doll, and studied him thoughtfully for a moment, "I still say a pedicure would have been good for you." She said eventually.

Ren chuckled as he buttoned up his cuffs.

They waited in companionable silence for a moment before Maria spoke again, "Your tie matches onee-san's dress. Was that your idea?"

Ren, surprised, looked down at his tie, "Can't say that it was. Ten-san was the one who put my look together though."

Maria looked up at him from under her lashes and Ren suddenly felt like she knew more than what she was letting on.

"Maria-chan?"

Her gaze swung away and Ren's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He was distracted from pursuing that path when Ten-san exited from the other bathroom of the suite.

She bowed theatrically, "Happy to join you for this evening's premiere, I present to you, Kyoko-san of LME."

She had a devious grin on her face when she lifted herself out of her bow. Ren hardly noticed, so preoccupied he was with staring at Kyoko as she stepped out into the suite's common area.

If the dress had been any other color, perhaps Ren wouldn't have been so startled to see Kyoko looking so mature. As it stood though, the sleeveless, floor-length dress was a striking shade of garnet. Which was appropriate, as gold and garnet earrings were hanging from Kyoko's ears, and she was wearing a matching bracelet. The accents of black bead-work that glittered in various places along the draped folds of the bodice were done in an elegant fashion and Ren could only applaud the final result.

He was also relieved that other than the color, the dress was more modest than say, what Kyoko wore to the Box R wrap party. At least, he thought this, until she stepped forward and did a little twirl, and the slit in her dress went up so far on her left leg that it reached mid-thigh. Ren fervently hoped that he'd smothered the strangled sound that just came out of his throat well enough that no one paid it any mind.

Maria was clapping, her eyes shining as she praised her big sister for looking so edgy and fashionable. Ren let out a sigh of relief as it seemed Ten-san, Maria-chan, and Kyoko were thoroughly distracted from his reaction by oohing and aahing over how well the jewelry and black strappy heels matched the dress itself. He leaned against the wall of windows, hoping the chill from the glass could help cool him off a little.

For a few moments, he just got to enjoy the girls having fun as they all waited for Lory to return from where he and Ruto-san had gone. He was fiddling with the knot in his tie, trying to loosen it a little when Lory stepped back in the room. After praising the pair of them, as well as Ten-san, for how good they looked, Lory strode up to Ren, shaking his head in exasperation.

Ren glanced at the president, and fiddled with his tie some more.

Lory smacked Ren's hands away from his garnet-colored tie, and readjusted it himself, "Knock that off Ren. No one wants to see you all nervous like this. You're the cool, collected gentleman, remember?

"Hardy feel like it these days," Ren mumbled, knowing Lory would understand what he meant beyond the premiere he was about to attend. Lory tsked, a noise that still made Ren feel like he was an anxiety-ridden teenager to this day.

"I know you're worried about a lot these days. But," Lory shot him a reassuring look, "Do know that what you _have_ been able to accomplish at your age is really remarkable Ren. It's common to be where you're at now, feeling all that worry boiling up inside, but remember you've got people around you now that can help with that. Any time you just need to talk something over, or need to talk about anything at all, we're here to listen. You know?" Lory smiled, and tilted his head so Ren's gaze followed his to the others in the room, who were sending Ren similar reassuring looks. Ren's eyes caught and held Kyoko's as she smiled. Ren couldn't keep his lips from twitching up into a smile in return and so didn't bother trying to suppress it.

"Thanks Boss," said Ren.

"No problem kid."

…

Director Ogata Hiroaki looked around the theater from his perch on the box seat balcony in avid curiosity. He'd been surprised, but delighted when Director Konoe had reached out to him and invited him to the premiere of Tragic Marker. Ogata was a fan of horror himself, and had been considering attending a premiere of the movie after seeing a couple of the teaser trailers. He by far preferred attending the fancy Tokyo premiere that the actors and Director Konoe himself were attending though.

He and Konoe had chatted earlier in the lobby when he'd come in, which had been nice. Since then, Ogata had kept his eyes peeled for the various actors and actresses that had been in the movie. There was a lot of hubbub about the supposed Actor X, or Cain Heel as he'd overheard some of the actors call him, and Ogata was eager to see him show up.

He'd theorized that the man might not even show, but Konoe was lingering in the lobby, so Ogata had a sneaking suspicion that there was still a certain actor that had yet to come in. Konoe had cordoned off a section of the box seats of the theater and nearly all the seats were full, so Ogata was pretty sure Konoe was only waiting on one more person to appear. It was highly probable that Actor X was who he was waiting on, as all the top billed cast aside from him had already taken their seats. The buzz outside the lobby doors increased in volume all of a sudden, and Ogata kept his eyes peeled. When the ushers opened the door, he leaned over the balcony railing, eager to see who had caused such a ruckus.

When a couple walked in, and Konoe went to greet them, all smiles, even Ogata had to blink, then look again. Then he did it again, scrubbing a hand over his face, and peering back out at the lobby. As inexplicable as it was, Ogata had to admit that Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko had indeed just walked in. Ogata stared, shock the most prevalent emotion he felt as he watched Konoe greet them enthusiastically.

Others in the cast had been watching along with Ogata, and he heard them muttering back and forth, surprise and shock the most notable reactions.

"Why is _he_ here?"

"Who's that with him?"

"Man, that's a killer dress!"

"Seriously, any ideas for why Tsuruga _freaking_ Ren just walked through the door?"

"Wait, are they dating?"

"Honestly Manaka-san, is romance all you think of?"

"Ok, seriously, why is the director all over him? We have other famous people that are just here for the premiere, why's Tsuruga getting so much attention?"

Ogata couldn't help but stare along with the rest of the cast as Konoe himself ushered the pair up to a set of box seats and installed them right next to his own seat. The director was chattering a mile a minute and Ren and Kyoko just looked, for all the world, like they were completely absorbed in what he was telling them.

Ogata than remembered the first night he'd met Konoe, in LME's underground parking lot, and what they'd overheard there.

" _Oh my god_ ," he whispered to himself, realization striking him like a thunderbolt. Ogata hurriedly took his seat as the house lights dimmed. Ren and Kyoko had gotten there with just enough time to spare.

Ogata would bet his autographed Dark Moon finale script that their agency president had planned that deliberately. If he had in fact planned out every single part of this, just for a certain reveal to happen the night Tragic Marker premiered...well. The LME president would indeed be on a whole other level. His admiration for the craftiness of LME's president doubled in that moment.

…

By far, the most difficult thing to withstand while watching Tragic Marker, was keeping his hands to himself. Every time Kyoko pressed close to him, her nails digging into his arm as evidence of how much the movie scared her, Ren had to inhale slowly, then exhale even slower. Being so close to her for such an extended period of time was...problematic. And for more than one reason.

He sent up a prayer of endurance and willpower, and nearly let out a strangled sound when Kyoko tucked her face into his shoulder to hide from Black Jack's first murder scene. He curled his arm around her shoulders, and patted her updo with a careful hand.

"There, there. Only an hour more to go." he whispered quietly, so Konoe wouldn't notice what he was doing.

She shot him a nasty glare and he had to smother a snicker.

By luck, or by sheer willpower, Ren's libido had calmed considerably by the time the house lights came up again. Konoe turned eagerly to him.

"Well? Final thoughts?"

Ren considered that for a moment, "An impressive addition to the famed Japanese horror genre. But was the face makeup a little much do you think? Really, all I remember are the hours in makeup putting it on." He let out a laugh and Konoe did too.

"Ah, you'll have to take that up with our makeup staff. I'm just the director."

Ren laughed again and waved it off, "No, I kid, I kid. Honestly Director Konoe, I'm honored to have been able to complete this endeavor with you at the helm. I think I will personally have a great deal of attachment to this production for quite some time. You were the first to hire me for a role such as this. Thank you for taking that chance."

Ren held out his hand, and Konoe looked touched as they shook on it.

"I can honestly say that you, and your companion there," Konoe peeked around Ren to smile at Kyoko and she blushed, but smiled back, "You two were a genuine pleasure to work with."

Konoe stood then, hands on his hips with a satisfied smile on his face, and looked for all the world like a king surveying his kingdom. He looked back down at them after a moment, and said, "Shall we make your introductions?"

Ren stood as well, and turned to offer his elbow for Kyoko to take, "Princess," he teased and she huffed a laugh but stood so he could escort her down the steps of the box.

The rest of cast spilled into the lobby shortly after the trio did. Murasame, Manaka and a couple others were part of the first group to make a beeline for them.

Konoe smiled as they showed up, holding up his hands to forestall their many questions, "Everyone, I'm pleased to introduce Tsuruga Ren. Otherwise known as Cain Heel."

Ren smiled, and bowed, "It was wonderful to work with you all."

There was a ringing silence for a moment before Murasame spoke up, "You have _got_ to be kidding me. There's no way."

Manaka tilted her head, then said, "No actually, the height checks out."

Ren let out a nervous laugh. "It's a bit obvious that, huh?"

Murasame still seemed dumbfounded, but others were curious and then everyone started talking all over each other to try to make themselves heard. It wasn't until about fifteen minutes later, when everyone's curiosity was sufficiently satisfied for the moment, that Manaka spoke again.

She looked around where Ren and Konoe had been answering questions, and addressed Kyoko.

"Hey, who are you? I don't know you."

Murasame was appalled, "Manaka-chan! That was so rude!"

Manaka rolled her eyes, "I'm a curious type, you know that!"

Kyoko laughed, and waved it off, "It's fine. I hadn't introduced myself because this was your guys' big night. I didn't want to be a bother. I'm Kyoko-san, from LME."

There was a mischievous look in Manaka's eye that made Ren extremely nervous. But before he could divert Manaka's attention, she asked,

"So you are guys like, dating?"

Ren felt a familiar panic settle across his shoulders like a heavy mantle, but Kyoko just laughed again, "Not at all! I just lost a bet!"

Manaka pouted, but brightened after a second, "What kind of bet gets you escorted by _the Tsuruga Ren_ to a premiere? I'd like to be in on it!"

Ren winced as Kyoko stiffened. Her voice was little more curt when she replied.

"Just a silly one. Can't really recall the parameters of it at the moment."

Ren dared to glance down at her out of the corner of his eye, surprised by how she had phrased that. There was a particular look in her eye that got his pulse racing again. Moistening his suddenly dry lips, he interrupted their conversation.

"Kyoko, you remember that the president did want us back soon. Ruto-san is supposed to be waiting out there with our car."

Kyoko looked up at him as she wrapped her hand around his elbow again. If Ren wasn't reading her completely wrong, she looked relieved to be leaving. They said their goodbyes, and began exiting. As they did so, they had the misfortune to hear Manaka exclaim,

"I am _obviously_ at the wrong agency."

Ren darted a glance down at Kyoko again, and he caught a small sneer on her face before she took a deep breath, and rearranged her features into a more pleasant, neutral expression.

"Excellently done there." He whispered down at her. She smiled back at him. They were nearly out the door, when a voice behind them surprised them.

"How unexpected to see you two here."

Kyoko and Ren turned, not sure if they'd really heard who they thought they had. Kyoko was the first to answer.

"Director Ogata! Wow! How have you been?!"

He laughed as Kyoko graced him with a small hug, "I've not been too bad. My last production had some problems, but we at least finished it ahead of schedule. And you two?"

"We've been well." Ren replied for them, as Kyoko returned to her place at his side.

"So, unless I'm stupidly unobservant, you were indeed the mysterious Actor X? Am I correct?" Ogata's voice was slightly teasing, but curiosity was alight in his features.

"Hah, yes, yes I was."

"It was marvelously done Ren-kun. Oh, and Momose-kun told me you two and Oohara-kun were in something together right now. How's that been?"

Kyoko brightened, "It's been amazing! There's so much to it, and it's so in depth! Oh, but we won't be shooting for as long as we were with Dark Moon. It's just a miniseries."

"Well how interesting. I look forward to seeing it."

"Should be airing around the first of the year. We sure hope you'll enjoy it. It's been something of a passion project for us." Ren said, smiling at the excited expression that was mirrored on both Kyoko and Ogata's faces.

Since Ruto-san was waiting on them, Ren made sure that they said their goodbyes shortly thereafter, so they could return to the hotel. But they didn't escape until Ogata-san managed to get a picture with them, (Ren wondered at this habit of his and Momose-san's).

Ren didn't think Kyoko breathed a sigh of actual relief until after Ruto-san had dropped them back off, and they shut the hotel room door behind them. The plan was for them to next change out of their evening garb, so Ten-san could come by and take it back with her once they'd notified her that it was available, and then they'd be off to their on-location site again.

Ren let Kyoko know he was going to go change and she just sighed to let him know she'd heard as she plopped down at a table to start undoing her hairstyle. Ren changed quickly. The theater had gotten him overheated for more than one reason, and he was eager to change into something cooler. Once he was back in a tee-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, he exited to the common area. He looked curiously over to where Kyoko was looking out the window at the lights of the city. It appeared that all she had done was undo her hair.

Leaving her to her thoughts for the moment, he grabbed himself a drink from the fridge in the kitchenette of the suite. When she was silent for a few more moments, his curiosity was piqued enough that he finally asked.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You. Us. The future."

It was an absent-minded reply, and she leaned against the wall, and peered out into the night life of the city she could see from the window. It made Ren pause, set his drink down, and wander towards her.

"Care to elaborate," he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"I wonder about you. How you're doing, I mean how you're _really_ doing. You use _us_ and _we_ when I'm around in way that makes me wonder what you want from us together. I wonder what the future holds. Is that what you wanted to hear?" The Kyoko he was seeing now, he had little experience with.

This Kyoko was an incarnation that seemed to no longer fuss about propriety and simply _wanted_ things. It was intoxicating. Ren had only had it happen to him a few times before now. It in turn, unsurprisingly, simply made him want _more_ in return. More of her attention, more of her focus, more of her _wondering._

He stopped near where she was propped up against the wall as she continued to determinedly look out the window. He slowly reached out, using his forearm and shoulder to lean in and press in close to her. Ren's lips quirked up for a millisecond as Kyoko didn't even bother to flinch away from him.

"Well, when it comes to _us_ , as you put it, you know I want whatever you're willing to give. You've known that for a while I think."

She contemplated the city's nightscape some more, but didn't disagree. He spoke again.

"Unless I'm reading this completely wrong, you also know _why_ that is."

"Because I'm special?" She said this quietly, almost sighed it really. Ren almost didn't catch it. A familiar anxiety began to claw at his insides and he inhaled deep, before taking the plunge once more. He was tired of hiding.

He snuck an arm around Kyoko's torso, hugging her close to him and pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Because you're special." Ren affirmed.

"Because we knew each other as kids?"

Ren stopped breathing in the scent of her perfume as she asked this, catching the slight tremor in her voice.

"Because, the very first day we met at LME," Ren replied, determined to clear up this misconception, "You sat outside our building for _hours_. You've not stopped surprising me since."

There was a long, quiet moment before Kyoko huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

"No. _No way!_ You hated me then!"

"Sure. You hated me too. That didn't make you any less interesting. I didn't remember the rest til months later. That time in the hallway as a matter of fact, when you dropped Corn."

"Unbelievable. There's no way that-"

"That what? There's no way that a lonely, lost person like me would notice someone so fierce and determined?"

Kyoko groaned and buried her face in her hands, muttering something Ren couldn't hear. He waited her out patiently, his head on her shoulder, his body curling into her warmth.

"And most surprising of all, you were like that because your heart had been broken. You know what happened when my heart was broken? When I thought I'd lost everything?" Ren recognized that his voice sounded almost detached as he asked her this. Kyoko stilled, raising her face from her hands.

"It seemed like I just became a shadow. I existed, but only when people shined a light on me. They had to give me that light. And I still didn't feel real. But you. Well. You _made_ people see you. You weren't going to be in _anyone's_ shadow. No one would ever _dare_ call you nothing but a poor imitation of someone else."

Kyoko's hands fell to his arm then, and she squeezed tight. He heard tears in her voice when she spoke.

"You know you're what inspired me right? I wouldn't be here today, doing the work I am now, if it wasn't for you. I started out on this path because of a choice I made, and Sawara-san and the president gave me a chance, but that would have all been for nothing if I hadn't met you."

"You praise me too highly." Ren's voice was full of self-loathing and Kyoko shook him a bit, her nails digging into his arm.

"Listen to me! If not for that tea ceremony scene, I would never have worked as hard as I did. I would have been content to act like Moko-san did then, from the script, and as I was taught. You _dragged_ a response out of me because of your own ability. _You_ did that. No one else. I have worked so hard to get on your level and I don't know how else to tell you what that has meant to me."

Ren's voice was choked up in his throat, and he had to swallow hard before he could speak again.

"Kyoko. What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm happy that I'm special to you. Because you've been special to me for a long, long time. I know we have had a rocky time of it. We're both quick to anger or to miscommunicate at times. But, if not for you, I wouldn't be where I am now. So, thank you."

Ren squeezed her tight, both arms enclosing her and he buried his head in the junction between her neck and her shoulder. They stood there for a long, quiet moment. Absent-mindedly now, Ren took his fingertips and dragged them across her skin, from her wrist all the way up her arm, and then back down. He did this several times, relishing in their closeness.

"What are you thinking?" The question came from Kyoko.

"I'm thinking that a week from now, we could go watch the stars from the rooftop of where we're staying on location. Weather's supposed to be nice. No cloudy skies."

With his face so near hers, he felt the muscles of her cheek move as she smiled. Ren's eyes were closed, but he pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone in response.

"What else?"

"I'm thinking three months from now, it'll be damn hard to get some time away from work for us, considering that one role I just auditioned for. So I'll have to do something extra nice for your birthday."

"Who said you were invited?"

"Maria-chan. Her grandfather wore her down. This year's party will be even more elaborate than last year's apparently."

Kyoko let out a quiet laugh and Ren pressed more soft kisses to her collarbone and her shoulder. The bodice of her dress had a boat neckline and Ren utilized that to his full advantage.

"What else are you thinking of?" Kyoko caught his hand as it trailed back down her arm, and she interlocked their fingers and held tight. Ren's heart tripped over itself, and his pulse raced.

"I'm thinking that six months from now, we'll be coming up on my birthday. I'm thinking I'll need to take an extended vacation. Been going nonstop you know. Should start planning for a vacation now. It'd be the sensible thing to do."

"Yes, that would be sensible indeed."

Ren stopped when his lips pressed into Kyoko's neck, and he felt her pulse pounding against his lips. It felt like in that moment, as if the temperature in their room had increased by at least twenty degrees and he swallowed hard again, his mouth gone dry.

"And you? Are you a workaholic, same as me? Or do you do things like vacation?" he asked.

Kyoko was silent, but then sighed, her voice trembling so much when she spoke, that Ren held her tight in the hope that it'd soothe her nerves.

"I imagine I could be persuaded to vacation. It is sensible after all, to take time away, and come back refreshed." Kyoko raised their interlocked hands to her mouth and she pressed a soft kiss to the back of his hand.

Ren closed his eyes, breathed deep and smiled.

"Where will you go?" she asked.

"I'm inordinately fond of rivers and forests. So probably there."

"Sounds lonely." Kyoko said, carefully looking at their interlocked hands and not at him. Ren smirked, and pressed his nose and mouth closer to her ear.

"Oh I don't know," he demurred, his voice quiet as his lips grazed the shell of her ear. Kyoko shivered, "I often find myself dreaming of such places. Did you know, I'm never alone in those dreams?"

There was quiet moment, but then Kyoko huffed, and said, "You've fallen into quite the bad habit these past few months." Ren froze, then raised his head from where he'd tucked it into the curve of her neck and shoulder.

"I'm sorry?" his voice was carefully neutral.

Kyoko unlocked her fingers from his, pressed her hand to the side of his face and trailed her hand up and over until it hit his hairline. She buried her fingers in his hair and pulled. Ren would like to say he was able to keep quiet when this occurred, but a strangled sound left him and he heard Kyoko sigh in satisfaction.

"You've got a bad habit of touching me in places that drive me crazy."

Ren blinked, astonished at the purr he heard in her voice, and had to smother a groan when she pressed their faces close together, in an imitation of what he'd been doing earlier.

"I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest what you mean," Ren dared to say, and felt her hand tighten in his hair again. He was prepared now though, and didn't make a sound.

Kyoko turned her head and shot him an agitated look out of the corner of her eye and Ren couldn't hide the pleased smirk that movement sparked. Her eyes narrowed when she caught it.

"Disingenuous to the very end?" she demanded. Ren only shrugged, eager to see what new reaction he could provoke from her. He didn't have long to wait.

Kyoko's breath hitched, and before Ren realized what was happening, she had thrown her arms around his neck, her hands curling tight into his hair, and she planted her lips on his. He quickly reoriented himself, and returned her feverishly hot kisses. The first thought he was actually cognizant of coming to mind, was that this was nothing like what had occurred between them in Guam.

His hands grasped at her back, and held her tightly to him. Ren felt a little as if he'd gone mad; like his shivers would shake him right out of his bones, but his skin was so hot that he was, without a doubt, so present in this moment that it would be seared into his memory forever.

Kyoko's lips pressed hard into his, and he licked back, wanting to taste more of her. Ren couldn't figure out if he groaned, or she did, but the result was that he pushed her up against the wall, and tried to close her in tight so she couldn't ever escape again, so he could hear more noises fall from her lips. He placed kisses across her cheekbone, down her throat, and he would have kept going except Kyoko yanked on his hair, and Ren _knew_ that that groan was his.

He looked at her, a little bewildered, but then she just brought his lips to hers again. He sighed contentedly as Kyoko's tongue found his, clumsy, but determined. She followed this up by dragging her hands across his cheeks, down along his chest, and then curled them tight into his shirt. The paths of her hands left a trail of blinding desire that Ren would sell his soul to fulfill, but he knew they weren't ready for that. He pulled away a little, placing softer, less passionate kisses back along her cheekbones and to the tip of her nose.

Kyoko blinked up at him, confusion and concern flickering in her gaze. Ren smiled ruefully.

"We shouldn't get too carried away. Now's not the right time."

Kyoko's face was as red as he'd ever seen it, but she nodded in agreement, and he cleared his throat and stepped away. He proceeded to the room's little kitchenette, opened the freezer door of the fridge, and promptly stuck his head in. He heard giggling behind him and took his head out long enough to shoot a resolute look at Kyoko.

"Laugh all you like. I can take it."

She snuck a little closer, placed her hands on his back and rubbed her face against his shirt. Ren was distinctly reminded of her rubbing her face against his hoodie that night she'd needed help with her Natsu and she'd done that exact thing every time she'd yawned. He refocused on keeping his head in the freezer so he would not act on how _utterly adorable_ Kyoko could be when her guard was down.

"I'll be good, I promise. Won't you come out of there?"

"Nope. You're a dangerous one Mogami Kyoko."

"Same could be said for you. You smell so good _all the time_. And your smiles drive me crazy. Even your angry ones. And well, don't even get me started on your hands."

Ren's ego was cautiously pleased to hear this. He snuck a glance back down at her and saw her sneaking one back up at him. He cleared his throat again and glanced away.

As he didn't want to melt the ice cream that had been left behind by the president, he went ahead and shut the freezer door.

"Well." Ren said matter-of-factly, "Your smiles drive _me_ crazy. And I want your hands on me all the time. So I think we're on pretty even ground." Ren finished, marveling at the honest words he was no longer scared to say out loud.

Kyoko's blush deepened and she let go of his shirt to take a step back. Ren's eyes narrowed as he turned to face her head-on.

"Nope. You still have the advantage. Your blushes are your best weapon."

"Weapon?!" she squawked. Ren couldn't help but snicker. Kyoko scowled up at him and he smiled back.

He played with a bit of her hair, and bent down a little to press a kiss to it.

"Yes. It's a dangerous thing when you do that you know."

The tension between them seemed to completely dissipate while Kyoko scolded him for being so ornery. Ren felt relieved. He hadn't known really what to do once Kyoko had done what she did. She had him so tied up in knots, it seemed like the hardest thing to do was to attempt to navigate the dangerous waters between them in a fashion that didn't have him making a misstep.

After a while of withstanding her scolding, Ren decided to remind her that they needed to be getting back soon. A disappointed look appeared on her face for a second, and she looked down at her dress, and then back at him with an even more adorable pout. That gave Ren an idea. He took her phone from where it'd been laying out on the table, and he motioned her over to the window again.

Angling the camera just right, he placed both of them where the camera would catch the pair of them, as well as much of her dress, and the pretty city lights of the night she seemed to like so much.

"For posterity, hm?" he asked, and Kyoko's cheeks pinked, evidence of how pleased she was that he'd thought of it.

"Alright princess, smile for the camera," Ren teased. Right as he hit the camera button, he felt lips against his cheek. He had no doubt that the picture he'd just got would actually have him blushing. He sighed, once more resigned to looking uncool if made the girl next to him happy.

As she stared down at the picture, a beautiful smile graced her features, and Ren felt himself fall in love all over again. Her voice was quiet, but he found himself blushing again when she smiled up at him and said,

"Thank you Kuon. I love it."

…

Wheeeew buddy. And there's chapter four down. Gooolllly was it long. Fun fact though! I wrote this almost simultaneously with the next chapter, so there won't be that long of a wait for the next one. :)

 **Special thanks** to: mengtoreality, Night's Warrior, MiSaNaHyu, Daamile, Aikori, Michiyo, Ariasm

 **Extra special thanks** to brennakai, you're lovely darling, and the actual best.

I love all the reviews you lovely people write to me, drop me a line about whatever ya liked, or what ya didn't. I look forward to hearing about it.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, hello, welcome to the rollercoaster that is Chapter Five.

I've been informed that perhaps I've been a little too subtle in some of my foreshadowing, which is ok, I'm still learning after all. However, a few things to keep in mind for this chapter:

-Takashi-san gave Ren access to Act 1 and 2 of _Spring at Mt Oguso_ by the end of chapter 1 of Strength & Grace. Reading Act 2 is why Ren took the position of Lt Cmdr Jack Taylor. For reference, this is the act where Jack and Yayoi connect over the loss of Yoneda Michitada.

-Shingai, when he suggests to Ren that Kyoko should play Yoneda Yayoi in chapter 2 of Strength & Grace, is not aware of this. The doublespeak of that scene is that Ren _desperately_ wants to play his Jack against Kyoko's Yayoi. Again, Shingai is not aware of this at the time.

-Kyoko is given Act 1 in chapter 3 of Strength & Grace. She studies it for two weeks before she auditions at the end of chapter 4 of S & G and is told she's an acceptable applicant. As stated then, it is the role of _Yayoi_ specifically, that draws her attention, and she is incredibly grateful that she was offered a chance to audition. Takashi then gives her access to Act 2 after she succeeds at the audition. Additionally, the excerpts within chapter 4 of Strength & Grace are part of what's in the journal Takashi-san gave Kyoko at the same time as Act 2.

-Chapter 5 of Strength & Grace, when Kyoko and Ren finally audition together, have both of them completely and utterly aware of the reality of Yayoi and Jack's relationship. However, they were not given access to Act 4-6 until chapter 3 and 4 of Whichever Way the River Flows.

Whew, sorry for the long note ya'll. Enjoy!

…

Takashi Chiyo sighed, sipped her coffee, and tried once more to reread her email from Gerald Johnson. She'd not had the greatest night's sleep, and too much tea was the likely culprit. So, she wasn't entirely awake yet.

 _Ms. Takashi,_

 _Gerry Johnson here. I've already talked to my colleagues about this, and they're as interested as I in cross-referencing your timeline with some of our materials here. This is truly an interesting project and we'd love to be able to lend out some of our materials if you so require. We realize this is a fictionalized miniseries, but as this was a fascinating time for-_

Chiyo groaned, blinked her eyes rapidly, then looked down at her notes. If she caught Tsuruga-kun or Nick-san later, she might have them just translate it into proper Japanese for her. Gerry spoke conversational Japanese well, but it hurt her eyes to read what he tried to write.

She perused her timeline notes some more.

 _\- Michitada: B 1899. D. 1950. Known after marriage as Yoneda Michitada-sensei._

 _Yoneda Yaeko: B. 1903. Becomes Matriarch of the Yoneda family in 1945._

 _Yoneda Son: B. 1926. Missing, presumed KIA, 1945._

 _Yoneda Yumika: B 1928, She and Michitada survive Firebombing of Yokosuka summer of 1944 only with the help of Akiyama An and Akiyama Nozomi._

 _Jack Taylor: B. 1929, graduates with William 'Bill' Burnham from Annapolis Naval Academy in 1947. Both arrive at Yokosuka base in Autumn, 1949._

 _Yoneda Yayoi: B. Summer, 1931. Meets Yamamoto Daisuke in August of 1945. They're married Spring of 1950._

 _Manchurian Incident: September, 1931._

 _Japan Surrenders to U.S. & Allied Forces: September, 1945. Occupation of Japan begins._

 _NKPA cross the 38th Parallel, June 25, 1950._

Chiyo sighed, blinked some more, and downed the last of her coffee. She'd been pretty positive that the first student and labor protests in Japan had begun in Spring of 1950 as well, but it appeared to not be in her notes.

But what about her _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ timeline could be so intriguing to the American base personnel they were coordinating with? As Gerry had said, this was highly fictionalized. She scratched at her scalp with a pen and sighed again. Perhaps she would just have a talk with Gerry, Tammi, and Mick at dinner that night. It was one of the only times Shingai had scheduled to have all the big players of the production to have a night spent together not working.

Chiyo nodded absently to herself. Yes, dinner that night would do. Her eyes drifted back up to her timeline, _...survive firebombing...only with the help of Akiyama An and Akiyama Nozomi._ Kotonami Kanae had questioned her extensively yesterday about why on earth she had to narrate for episode four, when the episode had clearly been designed to highlight another relationship other than her own character's. _You're a funny one Kotonami-kun_. Chiyo smiled as she thought this.

Michitada narrated the first episode, because everything began with him and his choices. Yayoi narrated the second episode, because she had held the greatest respect for Michitada. Typically, that might have been done by Yoneda Yaeko, seeing as how she was Michitada's wife, but Chiyo had made a deliberate choice there in the structure of the story. _Thank you for your perseverance Sugaya-san,_ thought Chiyo wryly as she thought about Yoneda Yaeko's position in the narrative. However much she liked the character of Yaeko herself, the focus was on Yayoi after all, and Yayoi had just lost her hero to yet more violence.

Then, Yoneda Yumika had had to narrate the third episode, otherwise the connection between the Yonedas and the Akiyamas was left unexplained. Which did no one any good, because at its heart, _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ was about people connecting, and reconnecting, in several ways, many times over their lifetimes, and growing and changing because of those connections. It was titled _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ after all. And spring was for renewal, rebirth, and growth.

But, as she'd explained to Kotonami-san, Akiyama Nozomi narrated Act Four for a few reasons. One reason was because the Yonedas were larger than life characters, due to their traditions and philosophy, and the general audience needed to connect to the humanity of those less fortunate. Kotonami-san had scowled, but Chiyo had thought she understood.

Akiyama Nozomi and her sister had been left orphaned by the war. They'd become survivors because of their hardships. An had fully embraced modern womanhood, and had never married. But Nozomi, she liked the traditions of the Yonedas, and that's part of the reason she liked Yayoi so much. But Nozomi was also excited by the new people in Japan, and all the new stuff they brought with them. And she _especially_ liked Tanaka-san, the kind-hearted interpreter that could smooth out problems and communicate well enough to be thought of as respected and reliable. He was dependable. And Nozomi had always wanted someone she could depend on.

If there was a woman alive today that _couldn't_ understand that and connect to that concept, Chiyo would eat her hat. And it was proven fact that the audiences in the present day admired the bravery of the women of Occupied Japan for being trailblazers on their way to modernity. Nozomi narrated episode four for all those reasons, but also because Nozomi's courage to take what she wanted was what Yoneda Yayoi lacked.

This story was about connections and growth, that was true, but it was primarily shown in how it affected Yoneda Yayoi's life. If not for her connection to her father, she would not have grown to be so centered and grounded. If not for her connection to her mother, Yayoi would not have grown to respect the traditions of the Yoneda family. If not for her connection to her siblings, Yayoi would not have learned selflessness. If not for the Akiyamas, she would not have learned bravery.

In Chiyo's opinion, it was always easier to show all the different sides to a person by mirroring what they did with someone else's actions. The narrative structure she had in place at the moment was simply the best plan they could have gone with to make it successful. She'd heard that Kotonami-san had schedule to be in the voice-over booth today, so she imagined that Kotonami-san probably understood that too.

Chiyo glanced back at her opened email, then sighed and shut her laptop. At the very least, she needed more coffee to try to deal with that writing.

…

Kyoko spent most of her Sunday morning oscillating between the excitement of watching Kanae work on her narration, and the seriousness of the material of episode four. In between that, she did her best to shove down her feelings that were overflowing and bubbling over from the night she and Ren had had last night. This was less than successful when she would open her phone to find their picture together as her screensaver. (She'd installed that pic as the screensaver in a feverish half-dazed fashion somewhere between two and three am that morning).

By the time dinner rolled around, Kanae and Oohara-san had long since gone off to rehearse one of their own scenes and Kanae had said she'd meet up with her after at the dining hall. Kyoko would like to say she picked out her clothes for dinner calmly, and with consideration to professionalism. (That a flirty skirt snuck in, was simply happenstance).

She was striding down the hallway to the dining room, after chatting with Kinji-san on security duty for a little while, when she caught sight of Ren coming around a corner. She perked up immediately. She'd no idea what his schedule had been like today, and he hadn't answered her text about rehearsal yet either.

He caught sight of her as well and almost simultaneously, they waved to each other, even though they were only a few feet apart. Kyoko promptly blushed while Ren turned his gaze away, and cleared his throat.

"Tsur-"

"Moga-"

They blinked at each other, and all their awkwardness seemed to vanish as they both chuckled.

"Please Mogami-san, you first."

She sent him a small smile, "Tsuruga-san, how are you today?"

"I'm well. You?"

She shrugged, "Same. Oh, but rehearsal times, any ideas?"

Ren sighed, "I'm actually kicking myself for stopping you yesterday, I've not been able to get a hold of Yashiro-san to set something up today."

She shot him a surprised glance, "That's unusual."

"Yeah, I checked with security, seems he had to leave this morning on a personal errand." Kyoko frowned when Ren related this to her.

"Well, I hope he's ok."

Ren patted her reassuringly on the shoulder, "Security did mention that he said he'd be back in the afternoon. So he'll probably be at dinner."

"Oh good." They smiled at each other, then almost jumped a foot in the air as they heard an angry voice echo down the hallway.

Ren probably should have thought it through more, but as startled as he was, he just shuffled himself and Kyoko into a nearby room and closed the door. He pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear who was angry and why. He shifted, trying to get a better position and heard a squeak. He blinked, and looked down at a very red-faced Mogami-san. He'd not let her go yet. He stepped back, and released her, wanting to kick himself for reacting in such a strange fashion.

"My apologies Mogami-san."

"It's, ah, it's okay Tsuruga-san."

They were interrupted once more by the angry voice that now sounded remarkably like one Yashiro Yukihito.

"..absolutely unacceptable. What have I said before about you avoiding your responsibilities? Think of how this reflects on us! How could you be so selfish?! I told you then that you were too young to take this seriously! But of course, I definitely had no idea what I was talking about, right?!"

His voice was louder, but his steps sounded further away, so Ren assumed he was striding towards the hall for dinner as well, even though he was beginning to yell. He exchanged a worried look with Kyoko, but then they heard his voice again.

"Well you should have thought of that beforehand, shouldn't you have? And she's just a teenager! Do you know how difficult this will be on her? Has she even decided on her post-graduate plans?! No? I wonder why!"

Ren and Kyoko winced almost simultaneously at the harsh reprimand in Yashiro's voice. An odd, unsettling feeling overcame Ren, and he stepped even further away from Kyoko, who was still red as a beet and looking at the floor. They waited there a couple more moments, before Kyoko peeked back up at him.

"I think it's safe to leave now." she whispered to him. Ren didn't want to leave though. He wanted to bury his hands in Kyoko's hair and kiss her senseless. But he only cleared his throat again, then said,

"Yes, yes of course. Sound logic there."

She blinked at him. "Tsu-Tsuruga-san? Are you ok? You look a little flushed."

Ren tried his best to talk without his voice cracking as he saw sweat drip down her collarbone, "Fine! Everything's a-ok here."

A sly look came over Kyoko's features then, giving Ren emotional whiplash, and she stepped forward, "Is that right?"

Ren nodded fervently, but Kyoko curled her hands into his shirt collar anyway.

"Reeeen. You can talk to me you know. Is there something stopping you from leaving this room?" Her eyes challenged him and Ren swallowed hard, and shook his head. His feet still didn't move.

"Well, I think you need to pay a toll." Her voice dared him to do it, and God help him, he could no longer resist. He buried his hands in her hair, lifting her face to his. He pressed his lips hard to hers, and she returned his efforts in kind.

A moment later, her moan startled him into letting go of her, and she sat back hard on her heels, looking up at him and blinking dazedly. She swiped her tongue across her lips, chasing the taste of him and with great effort, Ren kept his hands off her.

"Dinner." Ren rasped, trying to focus. Kyoko just smiled sweetly, making his heart pound.

"Sure. Dinner. Shall we Ren?" She grabbed the doorknob behind him, and turned it, and he quickly stepped out, straightening his clothing. She followed suit, as they checked for any onlookers.

Ren had no idea how they'd gotten so lucky, but he breathed a sigh of relief when the hallway wound up deserted. _Keep your focus_ , he thought harshly to himself. _This isn't a good time for this. Focus._

As he was admonishing himself, Kyoko strode ahead, plastering an unconcerned and pleasant look on her face. Ren did the same, but damn it, it was hard to repress the urge to tangle her fingers with his.

They entered the dining hall shortly thereafter, and Ren heard Shingai's voice call out.

"Ren-kun! Over here! Need you for a thing!"

Ren and Kyoko nodded and went their separate ways, Kyoko to find where Kanae was, and he to attend to the director.

What Shingai wanted wasn't much, just to return a certain two inch by three inch photo as inconspicuously as possible. Ren's attention was grabbed by various naval base personnel after that though. He did his best to answer their questions and strike up good conversation, but it was hard to keep his focus when all he wanted was to return to Kyoko's side.

Once he'd settled matters there on that side of the hall, he returned his attention to seeking out where Kyoko was, but instead found Yashiro and Shingai in a serious-looking discussion. Ren frowned and wondered if Yashiro's personal errand had something to do with all this odd behavior. He ventured towards them, and only caught,

"My apologies for troubling you Director, but thank you for granting me the favor."

Shingai nodded, "So long as it doesn't interfere with the day to day routine, it'll be fine. No worries here."

Although Ren's curiosity was piqued, Yashiro and Shingai caught sight of him then.

"Did Nick find a fellow with a harmonica?" Yashiro teased, his seriousness apparently completely gone. It caught Ren a little off guard, but Ren nodded.

"I was actually looking for him. Or for Kyoko. Seen either?" He asked them. Shingai shook his head but Yashiro replied the affirmative.

"Oh yes, actually. Ah, I caught sight of him, oh, there he is." Yashiro gestured and Ren followed his gaze to find Nick, Noa, Kanae and Kyoko all sitting together. Well, that solved that.

He gave them his thanks, and turned away, but before he could leave, Yashiro piped up again.

"Ren, you might want to check Ogata-san's twitter." Unbridled amusement filled his voice and Ren facepalmed and groaned.

He strode determinedly away, but still heard Yashiro and Shingai laugh. Ren sighed. He was never going to take another group selfie again. It only appeared to cause him a manager's heckling.

…

Dinner had been delicious, and Kyoko had had fun chatting with everyone she'd been sitting near. Ren had sat to the left of her, and Nick, Kanae and Noa were to her right. While she and Kanae had contented themselves with a lot of people-watching, Nick and Noa had told increasingly outrageous stories, though for what purpose, the girls didn't know. Ren had simply been content to be a part of the group, thought he frequently tangled their feet together underneath the table. Kyoko had been proud that she hadn't blushed once throughout dinner because of it.

"Ah now see, this is champagne-like, so if you tried to swig it all at once, you'd get horribly sick." Nick was saying as he eyed their sparkling grape juice in suspicion, acting wise and sage in the years he had on the rest of them. Noa rolled his eyes, while Ren sighed, despairing of the level of maturity of the company he kept.

"Had experience with that Nick-san?" asked Kanae dryly. Kyoko giggled.

Nick shuddered theatrically, "It's not as bad as trying to swig two fingers of a thirty-year-old scotch in one go, but those bubbles will get ya. Quinn tried that once. It...was not pretty."

Kyoko snorted and Kanae sighed. But when Nick brought up Quinn, Kyoko remembered something she'd been curious about the day before.

"Niall-san's and your's project. Did you decide? Is that why you needed a harmonica?"

"Ahhh, call him Quinn, please, he'll leave me if he's learned that I told you guys his first name."

Kyoko gasped, intentionally being over-dramatic, "Noooo! Say it isn't so!"

Nick nodded gravely, but Kyoko caught the sly glint of humor in his gaze, "Quinn, or nothing. This is crucial for you to understand. My eternal happiness depends on it."

Ren snickered and muttered something, and Nick shot him a dirty look while Noa struggled to keep a straight face. Either way, even though Kyoko was slightly familiar with English slang, she definitely couldn't comprehend why he'd call Nick an otter-lover.

"The point being Kyoko-san, is that the answer to that is yes. We finalized our decision Friday. All that's left is to present it to Takashi-san." Nick smiled and she returned it excitedly.

"Oh, when will that be?"

"Now." The voice came from above them, and Shingai gazed down at them in amusement.

"Eavesdropper," Ren muttered and Shingai just smiled. Nick shoved a little at Noa though, and said,

"You got it then?"

Noa nodded in response, "Where's Mick though?"

Ren, as he was tallest of all of them, stood and looked around, "Ah, let me see. I thought Takashi-san and he were talking about something. Ah yes, he's already there. Come on."

He gestured for the other guys to follow him and Shingai called after the group, "Speaker and a mic were set up over there." Shingai gestured near where the dining hall windows were and Nick gave him a thumbs up in response as they hurried to catch Mick and Takashi-san.

Shingai took it upon himself to settle on the bench with Kyoko and Kanae.

"What are they doing?" Kanae asked curiously.

"So sailors use songs to keep time while they work, and there's a ton of different kinds, depending on the nature of what the sailors are doing and the culture they're from. Nick and his boyfriend were running through them as part of prep for some of the scenes in Act Five. I hadn't realized they'd already decided though," said Kyoko, looking after them eagerly.

"Decided what?" asked Kanae.

"In the script, it just says Lt Burnham starts up one of these songs in the leaving scene they have at the beginning of episode five, but it doesn't give specifics. So Nick took it upon himself to figure out what he thought would work for it." Kyoko replied. It appeared Takashi-san was nodding along from what Kyoko could tell as she observed the group from across the hall. Maybe they'd convinced her?

Kyoko felt a swell of excitement come over her. Nick had loved that Quinn could help him with something, even when they were separated by miles of ocean since Quinn was working a job in Seattle at the moment. It'd mean a lot to the both of them if Takashi-san liked it.

Kyoko, Kanae, and Shingai looked on curiously as the group nodded, and left Takashi-san, to take up spots surrounding the mic setup.

"If they're half as good as what their practice sounded like Friday, they'll have this in the bag," Shingai murmured as Nick tested the sound and the ruckus around the room quieted in anticipation of someone at the mic setup.

Kanae hummed thoughtfully, "But would the sound editors allow it? All that noise on the supply ship set? That'd be so hard to edit, right?"

Shingai shook his head, "Not as much as you might think. If they're wired up right, it should be fairly easily to isolate with the right software. And our voice-over booth or our A/V room setup would help if they need to add it back in."

"Huh, who knew." said Kanae absently, studying the four of them like they were a script she'd just received.

Kyoko was nearly at the edge of her seat in anticipation as she watched Mick and Noa play around with the harmonica. It seemed they were deciding which of them should use it. Once that was settled, Nick faced the rest of the room and spoke into the mic.

"Excuse our interruption. We would very much like you all to witness the efforts of something we put together. Please treat us kindly."

There was ripple of curious murmuring around the room, but as the four of them began to clap and tap out a beat with with their feet, nearly every head in the room turned to watch, silent in respect for their effort. To Kyoko's surprise, Noa stepped up to the mic first. She wondered why, when the script specified that Lt Burnham started it off. She was distracted though, when Noa began to sing.

"I'll bring you flowers, when you're dead and gone. Asleep in the pines, in the valley of the mountain. Next to you I'll lay my bones...when I've reached my prime, beside the brandywine, where I finally find my rest."

"Good countertenor," Shingai said softly as all four of them stepped up to the mic for the chorus.

"Oh lover I'll see you there, waiting in the willows with your autumn hair. Oh lover I'll see you there...after many miles."

Ren took the mic next, and Kyoko's heart near stuttered to a stop when he looked right at her.

"I swear I've known you from another time. And I caught you down the line, but I couldn't stop you moving. And when I found you by the riverside...It's waters wild and wide, you left me again."

Then the chorus again. And then it was Nick's turn, "An echo of an echo...It's the semblance of a sound, and I've prayed and I've waited, with my ear upon the ground. But the shovel it digs deep, and the calluses grow over. Like a mirror to a mirror, the canyons call your name."

Then Mick, as everyone stepped up to the mic for the chorus, began to lightly play the harmonica. The trill of it only seemed to be able to be highlighted by the resonance of the rest of their harmonized voices, and the moment when it hung past the voices for one last note, was a moment that brought tears to Kyoko's eyes.

"Wow." said Kanae softly, sounding just as touched as Kyoko felt. Others in the room seemed just as touched by the short little song the group had trotted out, and the applause that started up after that first startled moment was loud and appreciative.

"Well done boys." said Shingai, smiling. The three of them turned to look at Takashi, who was writing furiously and glancing between that, and the boys, with an oddly fierce, contemplative look on her features.

Shingai laughed, "Well, they've done it now. Takashi-san is gonna have them do probably three different versions before she finds one she likes."

As Kyoko watched the guys, and Ren caught her gaze again and smiled, she had a feeling that Nick's morning call to Quinn was going to be a happy one.

...

Kyoko started her Monday out feeling refreshed, and as bright and sunny as the outdoors were. She'd gotten in some line-reading with Kanae the night before, so she felt much more prepared for the day ahead of her. She was grateful for this, because her most important scene that afternoon was one with Ren. She knew he'd talked to Yashiro at dinner last night, as she'd seen it happen, but she'd still not heard back about scheduling rehearsal time, so she was determined to catch him before their time on set later.

She had to giggle though as she remembered how excited Nick, Ren, Noa and Mick had been as they'd discussed things with Takashi-san past dessert the night before. Ren excited was always adorable. It was one of the things she never tired of seeing him express.

She shoved those more dangerous thoughts away though, to focus on her work. Episode four was the Akiyama wedding, and was interspersed with scenes of various base personnel readying to set off for Korea. It was interesting, if unsettling, how Takashi-sensei had highlighted and contrasted the festivities of a wedding and a wedding feast with scenes of readying for war. There was something about reading the script for Act Four that just made Kyoko feel uncomfortable.

By the time she was through doing her morning scenes, and getting to her lunch, she was pleasantly surprised to also catch sight of Yashiro in the dining hall. She hurried his way with her tray, and sat next to him with a relieved sigh.

"Yashiro-san, it's so good to finally catch you. You never answered my text yesterday, is everything well with you?" She looked up at him expectantly, and was startled to see an uneasy expression on his face. Then, from across the table, Kyoko heard a voice.

"Hello. You must be Kyoko-san, how do you do?" Kyoko swung her gaze that way, confused, and was surprised to see a teenager. She gaped for a second in her shock; the girl was nearly identical to Yashiro.

"I'm well, how do you do?" Kyoko managed to get out, staring between the pair, trying to place the connection. Yashiro groaned, and gestured between them.

"Kyoko-san, meet Yuki-chan. Yuki-chan, this is Kyoko-san. She's my niece."

"Wow!" Kyoko gasped, "Well hello! It so great to meet you!"

"You as well Kyoko-san."

Kyoko chatted with her excitedly, eager to get to know her better, but while Yuki-chan seemed sweet, she was also very obviously, a reserved individual. Kyoko cleared her throat when she realized Yashiro had said nothing in at least ten minutes.

"Yashiro-san, was it take your family to work day?" Kyoko teased gently as she nudged him. His brow furrowed, but cleared after a second and he sent her a polite smile.

"Not precisely no. I just have family near here and an interest was expressed that I thought I could fulfill." Kyoko struggled to maintain a pleasantly neutral expression as Yashiro gently rebuffed her inquiry. But that did remind her why she had originally searched him out.

"Well, I'll be out of your hair shortly, ah, but may I see Ren's schedule please?" Yashiro looked surprised at the request, but handed over the planner.

Kyoko did her best to maintain a polite distance as Yashiro-san and his niece talked too quietly for her to overhear while she checked her and Ren's planners. She frowned as she studied his schedule in comparison to what she had scheduled. It seemed each time she had an hour free, his time was taken up with the heading, _Base Unit Prep_.

"Ah Yashiro-san, sorry to interrupt, what is this? I see it several places this week."

Yashiro adjusted his glasses and looked it over as well, "Ah, prep for the naval base units for episode five it seems. I'm afraid that just takes up much of Ren's schedule."

"I see." Kyoko murmured, dissatisfied with the answer, but knowing she wouldn't be able to change it. Yashiro studied her downturned face for another moment.

"Kyoko-chan, did you happen to need rehearsal time for episode four?"

Kyoko sighed, and nodded.

Yashiro pulled the planner closer and pointed out a block set aside on Wednesday, "We scheduled this about a week ago now, would that be ok? Takimoto-san requested it."

Kyoko glanced over at her own schedule. Kanae and she would be with shooting scenes with Iwasaki-san the AD, for part of that block of time, but if they hurried, and nailed everything in one take, she might make it.

"I'll make it work somehow," said Kyoko, frustrated, but trying to bury it. Yashiro sent her a sympathetic glance.

"I was supposed to be with Ren tomorrow for his on-location work at the base, but would you like me with you?"

Kyoko waved her hand in dismissal, "Don't worry Yashiro-san, my schedule isn't as packed as his tomorrow. Just please remind him to eat."

"Yes Kyoko-san, I'll make sure to take care of it."

"Thank you Yashiro-san." Kyoko sent him a smile.

After Kyoko had left, her lunch finished, Yuki turned to her uncle.

"Yashiro-jii-chan. I don't mind if you tell them. They're your work family right?"

Yuki watched, a little concerned, as Yashiro pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Please don't worry about it Yuki-chan. Just focus on what you need to, alright? You said you wanted to observe right? Where would you like to start?" He crossed his arms and leaned forward, sending her his best smile.

Yuki sighed. Her uncle was as stubborn as ever, "Well, alright. I suppose it'd be cool to go look at the cameras, or maybe watch people do the set dressing. It's probably different from my theater work, right?"

A surprised look flashed across his face, but then her uncle sent her another pleased smile, "Well alright, shall we go then? They're setting up for a scene in the ikebana room for this afternoon. We can hit two birds with one stone that way."

Yuki smiled, "That'd be great. Thanks Yashiro-jii-chan."

He leaned over and ruffled her hair, "No problem kid. That's what I'm here for."

They strolled out of the dining hall, his arm tossed carelessly around her shoulder, and the warmth from his tenderness didn't leave Yuki for the rest of the day.

…

"Tsuruga-san." Kyoko-san said, as she settled in next to him.

He nodded, "Mogami-san."

Yuki watched them, fascinated, as she sat near Yashiro-jii towards the back of the room. She'd not realized when she'd suggested what she did, that these two were who she'd be watching that afternoon. Yashiro-jii was typing furiously on his phone, his safety gloves on, and didn't appear to be as interested as Yuki herself was, which she thought was strange. The last family dinner he'd been at, he'd been tickled pink and had not shut up about the two funny clients he had.

She looked between her uncle, and his clients, and sighed a little. She knew why he was busy, but she'd hoped to distract him that afternoon. She returned her gaze to Kyoko-san, who she admired greatly. Kyoko-san was only a year older than her and just appeared so much more mature that Yuki was envious. Yuki desperately wanted to be that mature. She thought if she was, she'd have a lot less drama in her life.

She cocked her head and tried to listen to them some more.

"..shiro-san already helped me out. But really, you schedule seems too cramped this week Tsuruga-san. I was hoping you'd have time today after this."

"I deeply apologize Mogami-san. I had no idea that the base personnel would take up so much of my time."

A frown passed over Kyoko-san's face and Yuki saw Tsuruga-san look worried when he caught sight of it.

"Ah, but that Wednesday block, could you make it?"

Kyoko's brow furrowed, "I'm at least going to try."

"Ah, good, good." Tsuruga-san sounded relieved and that also made Yuki frown. Yuki didn't know much, but she recognized when men thought they were getting away with something they actually weren't. Tsuruga-san didn't seem to realize it, but the disappointment crossing Kyoko-san's face was obvious to Yuki.

"They are pretty interesting Yashiro-jii-chan." She said softly.

"Hmm?" Her uncle glanced her way curiously, but she didn't repeat herself.

Yuki settled back to watch the professionals at work. She had lots of notes she wanted to write to take back to her buchou at the Theater Club.

…

Yayoi entered her ikebana prep room, surprise crossing her face as she saw someone already occupying the space.

"Oh I didn't expect to see you today!"

"No I don't imagine you did." The commander's voice was soft, and pensive. But the way he glanced her way out of the corner of his eye made Yayoi's heart pound. She scolded herself as that thought crossed her mind. Here the commander was, likely feeling a little heartbreak, and that's what she thought of? She internally scolded herself again for good measure.

Yayoi licked her lips nervously, and tried again, "Ah, that pretty flower, is it a gift for someone special? Do you need it left in their room maybe? I can have one of our cleaning girls find a vase and put it in their room when they go to clean."

"No. No, that won't be necessary."

"I see. Ah, then is there something I can do for you?"

"You had not let me know of Akiyama-san's wedding when we last spoke. I confess, I'm surprised. I thought we were friendly enough that you would have informed me."

Yayoi's fingers clenched nervously together, but she maintained her neutral expression.

"I uh, well this is embarrassing. I uh, I had thought, as you two have spent a great deal of time together, that ah, perhaps..." Yayoi stopped, straightened her spine, and spoke more firmly, "I had been under the impression that you might have found your Persephone in Mi-chan. I um, I was concerned that the news might have disturbed you unnecessarily amidst your, um, preparations."

"I see." Jack brought the flower to his nose so he could sniff its fragrance for a moment. Yayoi grew increasingly uneasy as he looked at her from behind the blossom.

"Did you wish to leave that behind as a gift for her?" she asked. It was the truth that she had found them talking frequently together at the teahouse many times in the past few weeks. Surely they were friendly then? That would simply be a nice gesture if that was the truth of why he was there. Yayoi ignored the pain that flashed through her at the thought and maintained her sweet smile.

The commander huffed out a quiet laugh, and set the daisy down on the table, along with what looked like a note. As she caught sight of the piece of paper, Yayoi struggled to remain composed.

"That will not be necessary."

"Right. Might make things awkward with Tanaka-san." Yayoi smiled again, projecting as best she could, a sense of polite disinterest.

"Tell me, Yoneda-sama, have you just grown used to playing dumb? Or do you come by it naturally?" Yayoi's smile disappeared.

"I beg your pardon?"

The commander watched, amused, as Yayoi's usually polite demeanor shifted into a scowl.

Jack settled back onto a table, crossing his arms as he looked her over. She bristled internally with irritation, but suppressed her outward reaction as much as she could.

"Did you know, you and your husband are famous 'round these parts?"

Yayoi sputtered, her confusion mounting, "Lt Cmdr Taylor-san, if I cannot help you, I insist that-"

"That caretaker at the orphanage sure likes to chat about how much you two are just like a fairytale couple."

Completely diverted from her previous train of thought by this comment, Yayoi stared down at the floor, cursing Kaede obaa-san in her mind.

The commander continued, "She couldn't stop talking about how beautiful the wedding feast was when we were visiting the orphanage last week. And she went on and on about how romantic it was that a poor orphan boy was plucked from obscurity by the wealthy and powerful Yonedas the summer he arrived, just to give him a place to live and work. And then he tops it all off by marrying the heiress!"

"She shouldn't have gossiped so. I apologize for her impertinence. If she in any way stopped your unit from completely their work while there, I'll go there myself to reprimand her." Yayoi said firmly, doing her best to put the whole confusing and irritating encounter to rest.

"Such strong words from the Yoneda heiress. Do this often do you?"

Yayoi said nothing in reply and Jack studied her carefully before he spoke again.

"You know, I thought it was obvious in the beginning. I had thought you knew. You were so sincere and kind after all. First it was daffodils, then forget-me-nots, then daisies. Sometimes a combination of all three. But there was always a note. Be honest Yoneda-sama, haven't you gotten these before?" Jack asked quietly as he picked up what he'd left on the table.

Yayoi couldn't control the blush that rose in her cheeks but refused to reply.

Jack straightened from where he'd been leaning against the table, and walked over to her. He placed the daisy and the note on the table she'd been standing near. He leaned his weight on the table, and reached out with a hand that Yayoi didn't stop, frozen as she was in consternation at his behavior.

He slid a hand carefully into a pocket in her outfit, pulling out a thin scrap of paper. "Well, well, well. I thought I caught you doing this the other day. How long do you keep the notes with you, _Yoneda-sama?"_ Jack sent her a challenging glance as he took a step back.

Irritation flickered across her face, but Yayoi set her jaw, burying her burgeoning panic, and locked her flinty gaze on his, "Commander-san, this is preposterous! I was simply-"

He let out a low, admiring whistle at seeing her so agitated, "Well, well. Whatever happened to your calm composure _Yoneda-sama_?" Jack's tone of voice was ever so slightly mocking and Yayoi stiffened, visibly recollecting herself, and her lips pressed together thinly to stop words from spilling out of her mouth.

Jack shook his head and tsked when he saw her do so."Ahh, Yoneda-sama. There's no need to keep up the act. I know you know about these. You've known for a while. Far be it from me to dash the romantic notions of an unhappily married young woman, but do us both a favor and quit pretending that's not what this is."

"Commander Taylor-san, I must insist you step away. You appear to be determined to pressure me about something inappropriate and I will not have it."

A low chuckle came from Jack, and he didn't move. Instead he said,

"Is it not the truth that you've kept every single note? Even though you're married? That's not me pressuring you about anything. That's you and your romantic, whimsical notions."

"That's simply an outrageous accusation. I have no such notions. I simply enjoyed the kindness of an _anonymous_ note writer."

"Hah, kindness. Yes I suppose when you were complimented on your ikebana, or your calligraphy, or your tea ceremony, you simply thought of it as someone being kind." Jack smirked when the look on Yayoi's face seemed to transition to something more relaxed, and agreeable. He gestured in her direction with the note he'd plucked from her pocket. She paled when her gaze refocused on it.

"But tell me, was it kindness when your _anonymous_ notewriter wrote about how getting lost in your eyes left him breathless? Was it kindness when your notewriter said your beauty was greater than all the stars in the sky and all the flowers on the earth? Tell me _Yoneda-sama,_ is it kindness when I say your passion leaves me aching to touch you?" It was a struggle, but Kyoko was able to shove down her reaction to those words. The timbre of his voice was inspiring far too inappropriate a reaction within her and she hung onto Yayoi with every trick she had at her disposal.

He pressed in closer, the note with the last thing he'd quoted still pressed between two fingers. "Hmmm? Well?"

Yayoi hurriedly backed away, putting a table between them. She refused to look up and see the victorious look in his face. _She should have known, she should have known,_ her pulse raced as this thought was repeated over and over in her mind. Of course the notewriter had just been testing her. A fury stirred within her and she looked up, her face expressionless, except for a dangerous glare pointed at Jack.

"That is enough Commander-san. There is nothing to gain from pursuing this. Leave this be."

"Tell me the truth then. Are you happy?"

There was a long moment of silence and Yayoi cursed herself because all her words had left her.

"I'll stop with the notes, with the daffodils, the forget-me-nots, the daisies, I'll stop it all if you say you're happy. If they trouble you, if they trouble the happily married newlywed, I'll gladly drop it."

His voice was challenging and she looked up, determined to respond with a sharp retort, but instead flinched away from the fierce intensity in his eyes.

He picked up the daisy and the note he'd brought with him. He stepped around the table, and tucked the note that had come from her pocket back in it, along with the daisy. Then Jack grabbed her hand in his, placed the note he brought with him into her palm, and closed her fingers tight around it.

"Don't worry, we're done here. Even if you can't be sincere with me, you'll at least have the satisfaction of being completely honest with yourself."

He stepped back after he said his piece, and studied her face once more. After a moment, he dropped her hand, gave her a small bow, then turned on his heel and exited the room.

Yayoi stood there, staring at the note in her hand, as a tear dripped down her face. The droplet hit her note and she reflexively sniffled. She hesitantly opened the note. There was no delicate and beautiful calligraphy. It was an obviously hastily written note, the paper even torn from a memo pad. The writing was bold and spiky, and in English.

 _To fool others, you must first fool yourself._

"Damn you Jack Taylor." she muttered as another tear dripped onto the note, smudging the ink. Despite herself and her anger, she did not let go of it.

She heard the clapperboard snap shut and Yayoi abruptly left Kyoko, leaving her dazed for a moment. As the director called cut, Kyoko stepped off the set and sighed in relief. Ren met her with her water bottle, and a smile.

"Fantastic work Mogami-san."

"Same to you Tsuruga-san."

Yuki, still near Yashiro, sputtered in confusion.

"Yashiro-jii-chan, Yashiro-jii!" She pulled on his sleeve agitatedly and Yashiro smiled down at her.

"Yes Yuki-chan?"

Yuki stared after the pair of them as the director stepped up to discuss something with them, "Do they even know what they look like?"

Yashiro tossed his head back and laughed, "Ah Yuki-chan. That's the question of the ages."

…

Kyoko did her best, but she knew her mood was gloomy all the way until Wednesday came around. Well, a mixture of baffled and gloomy. She still couldn't figure out the Yashiro Issue, as she'd titled it, but she had some of her own issues currently taking up prime real estate in her thoughts.

Not only had Kanae snapped at her about her mood, but even Atsushi-san and Miura-san had mentioned she seemed a little down. Kyoko sighed, aggravated even more when she realized she'd have to rush to get to the studio room where they had set up to rehearse that day.

She, Miura-san, Atsushi-san and Kanae had done their best with their work though, and hopefully Kyoko would only be late to the rehearsal by a half hour. She went through wardrobe fastest she ever had, feeling increasingly concerned that she'd miss the others. As she hurried over, she wondered at this anxiety that had begun to make her worry so.

Takashi-san had warned her that the teahouse scenes were going to be difficult, especially the last one they were to shoot Friday, but she thought this frantic worry was a little uncalled for. _Hmm, maybe I should do another line-read with Kanae?_ Kanae would be eager to get away from Nakano-san (who was, apparently, terribly curious about everyone and a huge gossiper), so Kyoko thought she might be able to convince her.

She then realized that while she'd been lost in thought, she'd already arrived. She opened the studio door, happy to have reached it only a little breathless. She walked inside, running a hand through her hair to set it to rights. She soon saw Tsuruga-san going through blocking with Noa, Jin, and Takimoto-san. Takimoto-san was the first to catch sight of her and waved at her to join them.

Kyoko plastered a smile on her face, "Thanks for letting me join. I appreciate this."

Takimoto-san sent her a reassuring smile, "Of course. Tsuruga-san is working with blocking with Noa-kun and Hayashi-kun right now, but I'd be happy to work with you. I already did the work I needed to with Tsuruga-san."

Kyoko sent her a more sincere and grateful smile, "That'd be lovely."

The part of the scene that included her and Takimoto-san was not very long, so Kyoko went ahead and suggested they do a couple of different attempts to pin down the right balance of exasperation, worry, and frustration they should express.

Once they worked it out to where they were both satisfied, Kyoko turned to the part of the room where Noa and Jin had been working with Ren, only to see Ren had stepped away, frowning as he talked to someone on his phone. Noa and Jin stood off to the side, and looked as if they were trying to figure out what the problem was. Dread hit her then, and she rushed over to Ren, barely managing to politely excuse herself from the rest of the group.

She fluttered anxiously around his left elbow, and he shot her a sympathetic look, motioning that he'd talk to her in a second. She waited, but caught only snippets of dialogue that meant nothing to her.

"Yes sir. I understand. Yes, yes, that'll be fine. If that's what it takes to get it done, that's what we'll do."

As soon as he said his farewells, and had disconnected, she blurted out, "Please tell me you have time right now. We need to rehearse."

Ren groaned, rubbing his face agitatedly. "I'm so sorry Mogami-san."

She stiffened, dismayed. Then Kyoko set her jaw, and stared back up at him determinedly.

"Tsuruga-san, please tell me there's a time you have free to do this _before_ Friday afternoon."

A guilty look crossed his face and Kyoko found herself clenching her hands tight together to help her maintain control over her emotions. She stared him down some more, and he rubbed at the back of his head.

"I can switch around my morning that day? That would leave me free after nine until, I think, we shoot that afternoon?"

Kyoko wanted to scream, _why do you sound so unsure of yourself?!_ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then looked back up at him.

"Do it." she said firmly.

Ren nodded back at her, and she relaxed some as determination crossed his face, "Then I'll see that done. I can meet you here again, if you'd like?"

"Works for me."

"Alright, then I really need to get going, a problem came up with the unit personnel. Again, I am so sorry." He apologized, then said a hurried farewell to her and Takimoto-san. Noa and Jin exited with him, all of them looking rather aggravated.

Kyoko stared after them all, frustrated beyond belief.

"Is this ok, Kyoko-san?" Takimoto-san asked her softly, looking in the same direction, worry apparent on her face.

"It'll have to be," Kyoko replied grimly.

…

 _Unlucky episode 4_ thought Shingai to himself, a frisson of fear sliding past his defenses. It was an old legend really, but more than once, back in his tv show days, had the old legend proven true. Something always went wrong with episode four.

Shingai had only shown up to this rehearsal because he'd heard from his AD that Takashi-san planned to stick close to their stars' sides while they did it. Shingai couldn't really figure why she would though. Their cast had been nailing their scenes all week, why bother to attend a rehearsal?

In any case, when Shingai had walked in, Tsuruga had been near Noa and Jin, and they'd been laughing. He'd thought he'd come just in time for rehearsal to start. But, after a couple minutes of this, Shingai had looked around, and caught sight of the expression that Takimoto-san, and some of the other crew members who were loitering around wore. They showed signs only of boredom and aggravation. Shingai had frowned, and tried to pick out Takashi-san. When he caught sight of her, his uneasiness only deepened. Her expression was completely blank, but her arms were crossed, and the hand that gripped her script was fisted so tightly that he could see shades of white on her knuckles.

He had returned his attention to the rehearsal, trying to slip in along the wall nearest where the others were, as unobtrusively as possible. Takashi stirred slightly as sidled up to her.

"What's happening?" He muttered quietly.

Her lips thinned. "Watch."

Kyoko had stopped Ren, Noa and Jin, and had called for them to start again just then, so they all took it from the top and Shingai watched it rapidly unravel.

As soon as they got to the first confrontational dialogue, Tsuruga frowned.

"Ah I'm sorry, hold on a second. Let me try it this way."

Shingai thought that was fine, at first. Then Tsuruga did it twice more, and Shingai took a closer look at how Kyoko was holding herself. She was stiff as a board. It got worse every time Ren interrupted her dialogue, or his own, to ask for adjustments. Shingai felt a nervous sweat begin to bead along the nape of his neck.

"How many times have they done this?" He asked Takashi.

Her brow furrowed, "This is the fourth time they've 'taken it from the top'."

"Shit." Shingai mumbled, running an aggravated hand through his hair. Ren was strict with his work sure, and this wasn't the first time he'd seen Ren and Kyoko upset each other, his first experience with them on the Ring Doh set for example, but something about this felt different.

And so, he stood there, and he watched Ren turn and twist and try to slide past the dialogue and the blocking during the scene rehearsal like some kind of contortionist clown character. The boy was doing his damnedest to avoid the emotionally impactful beats of the scene Takashi had written.

Ten minutes later, Shingai's analysis was sharper. Kyoko never said no to Ren. Ren even ever-so-slowly changed how and where he stood, so Kyoko couldn't do her blocking correctly, and she still only passively reacted. Any time Ren did this, or interrupted her dialogue or his own more than three times, Jin or Kyoko would stop the scene, and ask to take it from the top again. Takimoto-san was growing increasingly flustered each time she had to repeat her lines to Ren or Kyoko. Noa was becoming stone-like, and Jin and Kyoko were becoming increasingly colder. Shingai watched this all carefully, and watched the fury build inside of Kyoko.

Shingai had no doubt that Kyoko had never seen her acting idol do something like this in any of the work they'd done together. He could only imagine how she must have felt. Fifteen minutes further in, he saw the exact moment that was the catalyst for the consequential fallout.

Kyoko went to bow, as her blocking of the scene elaborated, and Ren interrupted once more. Shingai watched him, a grim foreboding overcoming his previous concern. _Unlucky episode four_.

"Maybe we could have them change the blocking. Don't you think that'd be a better idea?" Ren asked.

Kyoko stilled, only half-finishing her bow. She froze there for a moment, but Ren didn't notice. He was only looking at the script with a furrowed brow, completely dismissive of Kyoko's efforts.

When she didn't respond, Shingai watched Ren look back up and realize that. Irritation crawled across the young man's face and Shingai was abruptly reminded of how young Ren was.

"Mogami-san, I asked you a question." he frowned down at her. Takimoto-san was looking at her own script in confusion, but was the closest to Mogami-san, and so noticed the look on her face before Ren did. Shingai thought that it was telling that Takimoto-san choose that exact time to squeak out,

"Bathroom break!" and she beat a hot path out the studio door.

"Honestly Mogami-san, will you-" that was as far as Ren got before Kyoko's face rose up and her deadly furious glare was shown to the whole room. Shingai heard one of the loitering crew members say faintly,

"Oh shit."

Shingai sympathized, and decided now would be a very good time to interfere. He sighed, and pushed himself up off the wall and headed in their direction.

Ren appeared more frustrated now, as he took in Kyoko's look. He scoffed, "There's no need for that. I asked you a question and if you'd be so kind as to-"

Even Shingai was surprised to see Kyoko's hand fly through the air, quick and precise. Ren was promptly interrupted as Kyoko's script was hurled at him, hitting him solidly in the chest. Ren stared, mouth agape, surprise and hurt erasing whatever agitation had been on his face previously. The other inhabitants of the room inhaled almost as one in their shock.

"How _dare_ you. How _dare_ you act this way now." Kyoko's fists were balled up in her fury, and her wrath was unlike anything Shingai had ever seen from her before.

"You _dare_ pull this _here_. I knew you were a coward Tsuruga Ren, but I thought you at least had some professional integrity."

Ren's dumbfounded face was quickly twisting into outrage, "I'm just trying to protect you!"

Kyoko's fists curled and uncurled in rapid succession as she visibly restrained herself, "You _coward_." She hissed this, her voice cold and vicious.

Ren was scowling again, "This scene can be rewritten! We can change the blocking!"

A fury ignited in Shingai just then, and he stepped up to them. Ren and Kyoko's eyes widened as they caught sight of him, and the expression on his face.

"That is quite enough." Shingai studied the pair of them, doing his best to bank his own temper. But then Ren made the mistake of opening his mouth, a protesting look on his face. Anger rippled through him again.

"Be _silent_." Ren paled as he realized what he almost did and Shingai recognized the look on his face in some other detached part of himself that had been filing away the boy's reactions and details since he'd known him.

"Let's be absolutely clear here." Shingai began, his voice quiet, but no less deadly, as he looked Ren over.

"This farce of a rehearsal you have been putting on, and wasting everyone's time with for nearly an hour now, this was due to your distaste for this scene in particular, do I have that right?"

He quirked an eyebrow up at Ren when he didn't answer, only stared at him, mouth opening and closing without any sounds making it out. Shingai couldn't help but chuckle a little. He walked around him, tucking his hands behind his back as he walked.

"Absolutely unbelievable. The great Tsuruga Ren, defeated by a scene like this. This…This is the scene that he doesn't like. Oh he's fine with murder, he's fine with bloodshed, but this, this is what fells the great and mighty Tsuruga Ren. Tell me Tsuruga, are you uncomfortable? Does emotional vulnerability perhaps make you feel all itchy?" Shingai almost marveled over the mockery he heard in his own voice. He couldn't remember the last time he was so infuriated.

"Did you think you got to sit on a throne all damn day while you were here? Did you think this wouldn't be hard? Did you think you'd get to be all nice and comfy on this job, simply because I'm the one that gave this job to you?"

He absently recognized the look on Kyoko's face as one of fascinated horror, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Did you think it was okay for you to disrespect your acting partner like that? Did you think it was okay to waste their time?" Shingai gestured to Noa and Jin, who exchanged worried looks.

Ren's back was trembling, and Shingai noted that he had crumpled up the script in one hand as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Shingai continued his circuit around until he faced Ren again. Ren started to speak,

"Sir, please, I'm so-"

"Be _silent_." Shingai snarled quietly. Ren's mouth snapped shut.

"Make no mistake, you are here because of _me_. Because that writer came to _me_." Shingai pointed to where Takashi was standing and he caught the moment when Ren's eyes widened with panic, "Why is that Tsuruga?"

Ren was silent. Shingai sneered.

"Answer me."

"Because you're the best director in the business." Ren mumbled, almost indistinctly. Shingai let him get away with that one.

"Close. But no." Ren looked up at him again, uncertainty and fear battling for dominance on his face. Shingai was feeling pretty mean at the moment, and so simply thought, _good_.

Shingai shot him a withering stare, "She came to me because she believed that I had the capacity, the willpower, and the means by which I could turn her script into reality."

He began another circuit around Ren, hands still behind his back and his fingers flexing in agitation.

"And I looked at this script, and I found within it something beautiful. A story that needed to be told. A story that is necessary for others to know and understand. And what did I do then Ren?"

Ren flinched as he heard Shingai say his first name and Kyoko's eyes were round and terrified, her hands clutching at her mouth.

"What did I do then Ren?" Shingai's voice was like a whip, cracking through the air, causing some others in the room to flinch away.

"You came to me." Ren's voice was almost inaudible by now.

"That's right, I did. Do you know why?"

Ren was still trembling a little, and shook his head, "No sir."

" _Do not_ _lie to me_."

Shingai faced Ren again, daring the younger man to look him in the eye. Shingai was not disappointed when Ren raised his head to return his gaze.

"Because you believed I could do it. Sir."

Shingai smiled a little, and knew it was not a nice smile.

"Because I believed that you had the capacity to comprehend all its moving parts, and that you had the willpower to see it through. Because I believed in your passion, I believed you could be one of the powerhouses of this cast."

Shingai studied Ren, who was still pale.

"Did I make a mistake Ren?" Shingai asked, his voice icy.

Ren swallowed, bowed deeply, and said, "No sir!"

Shingai stepped back, satisfied.

"Good."

Ren rose back up, seeming a little shocked at the lack of anger in Shingai's voice. "Sir?" he said uncertainly.

Shingai gestured between Ren and Kyoko, as if to tell Ren to get on with it. He spied Takimoto-san huddling near the doorway, and he beckoned her in. She rushed to his side and he looked at Ren and Kyoko again and cocked his brow.

"Well? I'm waiting." Shingai said. Ren swallowed, faced Mogami-san, and bowed deeply once more.

"May I please try this with you one more time Mogami-san?"

Kyoko considered his request, a fierce look on her face.

"Get up." she muttered finally. When he raised his head, she was glaring at him again.

Shingai and Misaki were the only ones near enough to hear, but she stared him down for a moment longer, then said,

"Do not disappoint me again. You will not like the outcome."

…

Even Shingai appeared a little disconcerted when their group finished the scene rehearsal flawlessly on the next go around. Shingai looked as if was going to say something, but Kyoko just exited the room, her lips pressed tight together and an angry sneer on her face. No one dared to stop her. And so, Ren found himself hightailing it out of there as well, making apologies for both of them to both Shingai and Takashi before exiting. He caught up with her, three hallways away from the studio rehearsal space, and when she turned to look at him as she heard him come up behind her, she glared daggers at him.

"You know what sucks the most about this whole pointless rehearsal?! It's that I knew it was going to happen." Kyoko's voice was cold, and Ren flinched, and found himself staring at the tile.

"Sho-chan, Sho-chan! Will you play for me soon? Sho-chan! Won't you come over soon so I can hear you play? Sho-chan! Can't I hear you play soon?" Her voice was cruelly mocking, and Ren winced as he knew that was her self-loathing speaking.

Ren didn't dare glance up as her voice hardened, "Tsuruga-san, Tsuruga-san, do you have time to rehearse today? Tsuruga-san, Tsuruga-san! Do you have any time right now? I have a question about rehearsal. Tsuruuuga-san, we need to rehearse soon, when can we schedule a time to do that?"

Ren felt so ashamed in that moment, hearing her list off all the times she'd approached him, that he couldn't even find words to respond. The silence between them lingered as he remembered all the times he'd blown her off. Ren could only force himself to look back up from studying the hallway tile, when he heard her scoff.

"Unbelievable." The disgust on her face made him feel about two inches tall.

"Please Mogami-san, please, just let me explain. "

"What is there to explain? I told you months ago that I never wanted to be a person that let you down. I thought that might have been the moment when you began to trust me. I guess not though. I'm not even surprised. I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop for a while now. The closer we got, the _friendlier_ we became, the more certain I got that it would drop."

Her tone of voice was so withering that Ren was stunned into speechlessness.

"And you know what hurts me the most?" she asked, her trembling hands curled into fists at her sides as she stared at the floor.

Ren was too overwhelmed by panic and shame to be able to respond.

She lifted her head, her gaze boring into his, her lips pressed thin, and her eyes teary, "You said you believed we could get through this so long as we worked together. So what does that make you Tsuruga Ren? A liar or a coward?"

"Please, I promise you, I can prove that I'm not-"

"Not what? There's nothing to prove from where I'm standing. You dismissed me all week over this, or did you forget that? You even prioritized the next episode's work over this one's, so add hypocrisy to the list of ways you've disappointed me."

Ren stared, despair overwhelming him as he saw a tear drip down her cheek, "Mogami-san, I am so sorry, please, let me-

"I don't need an apology. I trusted you to do your job. And I thought you trusted me too. The only thing I want from you right now is a guarantee."

"Yes, of course, please, anything I can do, I will."

Ren desperately searched her features for any sign that this could work. When her lips just twisted up bitterly as she looked him over, he felt a cold sense of dread seeping into him. But she spoke before he could say anything.

"You will not let this happen again. Not for the sake of your pride, not for your mistaken concern over my emotional state. Not for _anything_. We are professionals. We act. We question what we're doing only for the _right reasons._ And that in there, those weren't the right reasons were they?"

Ren swallowed hard, and he nodded guiltily in answer to her last question. After a few seconds passed, he found he couldn't hold her challenging stare and so dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I won't let this happen again. Mogami-san, I am so sorry, truly, please believe me."

Kyoko said nothing. Ren licked his lips nervously and glanced back up. Kyoko had turned away.

Before she could bolt on him, he repeated himself more firmly, "I promise you Mogami-san, it will not happen again. I promise."

She turned her head slightly to glance back at him, "If I've been taught anything in my life, it's that cowards and liars promise a lot. When the man that first inspired me to act shows up again, tell him that I'll be waiting on the battlefield."

It was undeniable that her provocative statement inspired a heart-wrenching ache within Ren. Beneath that though, her challenge fueled his competitive spirit, and he marveled at the dichotomy of his reaction. She studied him for a moment wondering at his silence, but then Ren said,

"As you wish."

Kyoko turned away again, and her last words drifted back to him, faint but demanding.

"Do not disappoint me again."

Ren's hands balled into fists at his sides, but he bowed after her, even though she never looked back. When he looked back up out of his bow, Takashi-san had come across him. She raised her eyebrow and Ren swallowed guiltily. He bowed again.

"I'm so sorry Takashi-sensei! This won't happen again!"

"Yes, you've said that. Tell me, did you run off my best actress here, or did you two make up?"

"I uh, I think we're probably okay."

Takashi _hmm_ ed, staring after where Kyoko had gone, then back at him once he stood upright again.

"Tell your boys we're doing that song."

Ren, nonplussed, could only look at her for a second, "Sensei?"

"That song, from the dinner. It fits unbelievably well. Be at the A/V room tomorrow at nine. Bring those boys."

Ren nodded, exhausted, but relieved that that was one less thing to worry about, "We'll be there Takashi-sensei. We won't let you down."

Takashi just _hmm_ ed again, as her fingers tapped her crossed forearms.

"Don't worry, I believe you."

Ren sighed, but then Takashi spoke again.

"I'm not the one you're going to need to convince though. I look forward to seeing what this afternoon's shoot will be like."

Ren felt dread seeping like ice water down his spine as Takashi smirked, staring once more down the hallway where Kyoko had gone.

…

Kyoko had escaped to the rooms cordoned off for wardrobe and makeup staff use as quickly as humanly possible after the disastrous scene with Ren. She sat curled up in the chair near where Nagahama-san, the on-set seamstress and Head of Wardrobe, was working diligently on some of the extra's kimonos.

She liked Nagahama-san quite a lot. Nagahama-san was sixty if she was a day, always kept her thick hair in a braid, and was always sweet, no matter how close it was to the deadline of something needing to be finished. Kyoko watched, her temper and her frustration easing as Nagahama-san's work-worn hands flew over the hems she was finishing, her needle pushing in and out, in and out.

This was more soothing than even Kyoko expected and after about ten minutes of this, she found herself sighing, feeling more upset and despairing than anything else at this point. Quietly she muttered, "Ugh. _Men_."

Nagahama-san chuckled. "What happened Kyoko-chan? You hardly ever have a bad word to say about anybody. Well, so long as they're doing their jobs of course."

Kyoko didn't really want to cause tension by bad-mouthing others while working on this production so she just shrugged, "Where's Konou-san? Not around yet?"

Konou-san was head of the makeup staff and Kyoko often thought she and Nagahama-san were relaxing to be around. Konou-san had been part of the Ring Doh II staff too, with some of the other crew Kyoko knew from back then. While she'd been part of this production, Kyoko had enjoyed getting to know her more, along with Nagahama-san.

Kyoko hadn't been expected to come by so early, as she had been scheduled to prep with wardrobe and makeup later, so she'd be able to have the time to rehearse that she needed. The rehearsal time being cut short as it were, she was wondering if she'd upset the regularly ordered schedule. Kyoko felt a fresh surge of frustration and guilt as the thought crossed her mind.

"She's with the assistant director. She and Iwasaki-san were with the second shooting unit this morning. They needed to do some of the Akiyama household scenes, if I'm not mistaken," Nagahama-san was saying as she cut and tied her thread and began anew on another hem.

Kyoko sat some more, listening to the chatter of Nagahama-san, who was currently explaining that she was curious if Konou-san was actually crushing on AD Iwasaki-san at the moment, or not. Kyoko listened attentively to the proof Nagahama-san was listing off, happy to have something to take her mind off her own problems. Silence fell after a few moments, and Kyoko looked up only to catch Nagaham-san studying her thoughtfully.

"Something's on your mind Kyoko-chan, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Kyoko heaved a sigh, worrying at her lip, but then said, "Well, I'm having problems with a coworker. He's being um…"

Nagahama-san interrupted, "Is this just a coworker? Because if he's more than just a coworker that affects the advice you're going to receive."

Nagahama Mariko watched in amusement as the young girl in front of her blushed to the roots of her hair. As Kyoko tried to stutter through an explanation, she stood, going to her fabric samples. She was having trouble deciding on some pieces she needed to work on for some of the final scenes of the production. Act six was going to cycle through every single season, to show time passing, and while Mariko couldn't wrap her head around how that was going to be edited just yet, she was a seamstress, not a director. Her focus needed to be on putting together some final color palettes to begin her work.

"Kyoko-chan, not to interrupt, but I could use your help while you're here." She gestured for her to stand and join her. Kyoko, curious, did so.

"What's up Nagahama-san?"

"Trying to put together some kimonos for act six. Help me out here and pick out some color palettes that I can start with."

Kyoko looked around eagerly, her own problems flying away in the face of this new challenge.

"Ah, they're doing a scene with cherry blossoms blooming, right? So here, we could do this cherry blossom pattern here for before they bloom, with a light pink, and then for the light summer style after the blossoms begin to fall, a deeper pink with this green and this light purple here, what do you think Nagahama-san?"

Nagahama-san dimpled when she smiled and Kyoko was pleased to see her nodding along. "And who should this be for?"

Kyoko thought about that for another moment, as she set aside the fabric samples and pulled out some oranges and greens that could be layered for kimonos for either autumn or all year around. Finally she replied,

"Akari-san. This should be for Akari-san. She's not yet married, and she's only twenty by Act 6, so the cherry blossoms and lighter colors should be for her. Oh, but this should be for the autumn festival kimono for Mi-chan. The colors are mature enough, and she should have something special for the first festival her and her baby attend." Kyoko pulled out a deep red fabric with orchid flower patterning and paired it with a green she'd already pulled out. Her mouth pulled down in a moue of frustration and Mariko hid a smile.

Mariko cleared her throat as she saw Kyoko was getting deeply absorbed in thought and said carefully, "What kind of man problems are you having then?"

"Well, to start, he was selfish, and a liar."

Mariko nodded sagely as Kyoko just frowned and looked down at some more fabric samples. Even as troubled as Kyoko currently was, Mariko could recognize that Kyoko had a true talent for pairing cloth, pattern, and color. Mariko wanted to push her to explore it more.

"Ah, how about this deep red with the pattern of chrysanthemums? Since you don't like the orchid?"

Kyoko shook her head, muttering, "No, if there's not one with a yellow jasmine pattern, it should be orchid. The colors at least wouldn't clash as much. Mi-chan is an adult in Act 6, mature and elegant. And she knows it. She'd wear nothing less."

Mariko smiled, and nodded along. She'd have to put in an order for a yellow jasmine pattern. Kyoko was right on the money with that one. "So what did he lie about?"

"He lied all week about preparing for this rehearsal! And not once when I asked him about rehearsals did he actually take it seriously! Not until it was too late to do otherwise. We shoot this afternoon and he just...he just, he was so dismissive. Like he couldn't even trust me!"

Kyoko froze, as in her agitation she spilled all the beans she hadn't meant to. She daren't look up at Nagahama-san and tried to act like she was just studying the fabric more.

"Ahhh, men and their egos. They think they can handle everything, hm?" Nagahama tsked and pulled some fabric over to her to pair with something else she had grabbed. Kyoko relaxed marginally as it appeared Nagahama-san was just sympathizing with her plight. Yes, they were just a couple coworkers chatting about their problems. Kyoko let out a small sigh of relief.

"He doesn't need to do everything by himself." Kyoko said quietly, "Sometimes I think he does trust me, but then stuff like this happens."

"Have you told him he can trust you?"

"Yeah. A lot."

"Ah, so he was just being dismissive then. It was an ego thing. Ah, men." Nagahama-san tsked again, shaking her head.

"Well, I know he was probably upset with the scene itself. It was hard to do, you know?"

Nagahama-san just nodded along, "That seems reasonable. But he should trust you, right? You told him he could."

"Well, maybe, maybe that got a bit lost this week. He was really busy."

Nagahama-san laughed, "Kyoko-chan, you're so sweet. He should be more professional, right? Just like you?"

Kyoko flushed, and mumbled, "Well, I'm not always professional all the time either. Our communication wires could have, uh, just kind of crossed…"

"Ah Kyoko-chan. You don't have to excuse his behavior to me. Seems to me like he should have known better. He was acting like that all week, right?"

"I'm not excusing anything! It is true, that uh, well, I uh, I could have communicated better too. It's not just his fault."

Kyoko turned to look at Nagahama-san, trying to show that she was serious, but was caught flat-footed when Nagahama-san only gave her a knowing smile.

"So he's not just a coworker then?"

Kyoko blushed, and looked away. Mariko couldn't help but chuckle.

"Some advice, Kyoko-chan. If you're working with someone you like, that's a difficult thing to do. Personal emotions get messy when something doesn't go right with work. If this is a personal problem you two have, and it spilled over into the workplace, recognize that it did so, and do better next time."

Kyoko listened, absorbed in both what she was saying, and the process of Nagahama-san pulling other fabric pieces out and pairing them together effortlessly. Kyoko joined her for this task too, glad someone could give her advice like this, and give her something else to think about.

"And I will say, if this is a fault of your, ah, _coworker,_ not being ready to do his work, don't let that affect you two on a personal level. Because that's his flaw he needs to work on, and while you can be supportive while he learns to do better, you shouldn't take responsibility for the mistakes he makes on the way. You see?"

Before them sat several different fabric piles, colors and patterns beautifully arranged to complement each other. For the first time that morning, Kyoko smiled.

"Yes Nagahama-san. I see. Balance, in all things, yes?" She looked over at the older woman, who just smiled back at her.

"Well said Kyoko-chan. And well done." Mariko said, as they looked over the work they had done together.

"Thank you Nagahama-san."

"It was my pleasure."

…

When Ren and Yashiro entered the studio set for the last teahouse scene of Act Four, even they noticed the susurrus of sound that erupted around the room. Ren tried to studiously ignore the glare Yashiro was shooting him

"I leave you two alone for one rehearsal! One! Just to take care of a personal errand, and that's when you cause drama?!" Yashiro hissed as they settled into their chairs to wait.

"I apologize Yashiro-san." Ren was not nearly as sincere as his tone of voice implied. He was so utterly embarrassed by his shameful behavior from earlier, that he could only be relieved that just a small group had witnessed it.

Yashiro sighed, and ceased his glaring to mutter to himself about irritating clients. Ren wanted to rebut some of his muttering, but thought he'd keep his thoughts to himself for the rest of the day. He wanted no more trouble. He simply waited patiently for Noa and Jin to show up.

Takimoto-san was already present and appeared to be walking through the blocking once more with the choreographer. He should apologize to her too. He'd flustered her so much earlier, and the poor girl had not deserved it in the least. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and forced himself to run through the scene he was about to do in his mind, step by step, as he waited for the rest of their group to appear.

Another ripple of interest ran through the room when Kyoko walked in, Kotonami-san and Oohara-san in tow. Ren winced, wondering if she'd requested the back-up or if they'd all met up by chance after the Akiyama household scenes that'd been scheduled for earlier. Kyoko was resplendent in her kimono and make-up as usual, and Ren sighed, and looked away.

He once more ran through the scene, step by step, in his own head, forcing himself to focus on something else.

"Hey boss," Noa's voice piped up from his left, sounding a little ashamed. Ren turned, realizing that Noa and Jin must have come in with the girls earlier.

"Hey." He replied, and looked back at the set where they were finalizing camera set-ups. He didn't notice Noa and Jin exchanging a glance.

"Tsuruga-san, we wanted to apologize for earlier. We all kept messing up and asking for redo's, but Director Shingai only scolded you and-" Ren interrupted Jin.

"I started it, it was my fault. He was right to do it." He smiled, trying to express his reassurance. Noa and Jin stared at him, apparently still worried, and then Yashiro spoke.

"Ren means that, he does. That's his sincere face," Yashiro also reassured them, "And even though you might feel bad over your own mistakes from earlier, trust the director, hm? He scolded Ren for a reason. And if Ren got scolded, he needed to be scolded. He was the senior actor in the scene, and it was his responsibility to make sure you kept focused if the director wasn't around at the time."

Noa and Jin sent each other a worried look, then Noa said, "Alright, if you say so. We promise we'll nail it this time, just like that very last rehearsal. We promise."

Ren smiled back, "Do your best. I'm counting on you."

Noa and Jin smiled back, then went over to where the choreographer was still working with Takimoto-san. Ren sighed. He was working with some really great people, he thought, as he watched them apologize to Takimoto-san as well. He glanced away, and caught sight of Oohara-san studying him thoughtfully. Ren swallowed nervously, and looked away. After how supportive she'd been last week, he felt a renewed sense of guilt for his behavior that morning.

"Ren, I know you're disappointed and depressed right now, but you need to stop letting it overwhelm you." said Yashiro, glancing at him, before glancing away to look over the studio.

"I'll do my best Yashiro-san." Ren said and felt, more than heard, Yashiro sigh. Ren found himself fiddling nervously with his sleeve's cufflinks and forced himself to stop. He glanced back over at Oohara-san. She returned his look, cocking her head inquisitively. Something about that, and something about her presence reminding him of last week, settled some of his nerves.

Ren didn't know why, but Oohara-san was clearly not as angry as Kyoko, or even Kotonami-san. Ren was currently terrified of Kotonami-san after the vicious way she'd snarled at him at lunch about his unprofessionalism. Ren thought he might be being a little overly dramatic, but Kotonami-san's threats about _always_ making sure he always had decaffeinated coffee for the rest of his life might also be getting to him.

Still, he wondered at the expression on Oohara-san's face. He glanced over at the group of girls again, and saw someone fixing Kyoko's hair and the recognition came like a thunderbolt. _I lived, and I loved_ , he remembered Oohara-san saying. _Passion. It made me freer, more daring. Passion, it's an amazing thing._

Ren licked his suddenly dry lips. God, how idiotic he'd been. Shingai had been right to lambast him for his fear of showing vulnerability. He studied the set with a renewed fascination. Their last, flawless rehearsal, he'd been coldly calculating. Kyoko had returned that in kind and he had no doubt that it was part of the reason she was furious with him. Yayoi and Jack weren't coldly calculating here. They were _passionate_ , despite themselves. They knew better, they knew, and still. Ren felt his heart began to race.

 _We experience nothing from the chances we never take._

This thought whispered across his mind.

"Yashiro-san." Ren spoke abruptly.

"Ren?"

"Do you have your video camera on you?"

"Of course I do."

"I have something I need to see. Please film this scene for me to playback later."

Ren felt Yashiro stare, but his manager pulled it out and got it situated a moment later.

"Thank you Yashiro-san. I appreciate your help."

"Of course Ren. That's what I'm here for."

Ren sent him a smile, and walked to the set to take his mark with Noa and Jin as Iwasaki-san directed them to do so. It was so much less gloomy an expression than what he'd had been showing since lunch, that Yashiro stared after him for a long while.

Yashiro pushed himself up off his chair and went to situate himself near Shingai's camera, but still keeping out of the way. Shingai was finalizing instructions for the crew members running hither and yon, and Yashiro felt anticipation stirring in the room.

"No, make sure you keep that camera there on Kyoko-san. Her body language is essential here, and she's a natural at it. Keep that in focus, and keep it as a close distance shot. She's feeling cornered here, remember the script direction. The trap is about to snap shut in her mind." Shingai was saying into his earpiece as he adjusted the lens on his camera.

Yashiro vaguely heard the crackle of words and static in response.

"Iwasaki-san, are the lights ready?"

Yashiro saw Iwasaki nod from across the way as everyone took their places.

"Make sure to keep two cameras on Tsuruga. We need one that keeps low, shooting at an upward angle. He supposed to look like he's leading the scene, even though that's not the truth. Can everyone remember all that?"

Yashiro saw nods from the director of photography, Iwasaki-san, and various camera grips. Yashiro knew Shingai usually controlled the medium distance shot for dialogue, so he felt safe keeping to the left of Shingai.

Yashiro saw Kyoko, last to take her mark out of the group, step up onto set with dishes in her arms, and turned his handheld camera on to recording. After a couple more last-second adjustments, Shingai barked out across the studio.

"Action!"

…

Yayoi hadn't given a single thought to how unusual a request Akari-san had made until she entered the back room of the teahouse with her hands full of dishes to clean. That was, until she caught sight of Jack Taylor sitting at a table, waiting for her. She stiffened, the dishes clattering in her arms. He looked up, quirking an eyebrow in sardonic amusement when he caught sight of her. Her lips thinned and she sat down her armful of dishes and stepped right back out of the room, only to run into Akari-san right outside the door.

"I'm so sorry Yoneda-sama, but the Commander wanted a word." Yayoi felt shock and disbelief run through her, but she recognized the worried expression Akari wore as she told her this.

"What is this?" Yayoi demanded.

Akari bowed hastily, a few times over, "I'm so sorry Yoneda-sama! He really wanted to talk to you, and he said he could get my kaa-san an appointment with the base doctor if I helped him, and her cough has really begun to worry me and-"

Yayoi closed her eyes in despair as Akari blurted this all out, and didn't stop explaining and apologizing for a full sixty seconds.

"Akari-san, that's enough." said Yayoi finally as it appeared the younger girl might have begun to run out of steam

"Please Yoneda-sama, it's just the Commander, if he just wants to talk, what's the harm?"

Yayoi stared grimly at Akari's bowing form, "Get up. We have customers that need attending to."

Akari looked up, more worried and concerned than Yayoi had ever seen her.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them. Please, won't you talk to the Commander?"

Yayoi's lips twisted, "Don't worry, your mother will get her appointment."

Leaving a dismayed Akari behind her, Yayoi shoved through the backroom door again. She glared at the commander, who was looking inappropriately nonchalant as he stared out of a window near his table. Anger rose in her, but she said nothing and finally, the commander looked up at her questioningly. She sneered, and brushed by him, entering into the washing area that held the back door.

"My men are guarding the door in the back." his voice was dangerously soft, and Yayoi froze in her tracks as she noticed the shadows of the Petty Officers that typically accompanied the commander into town. Kyoko immediately recognized the difference from their rehearsal earlier. There was heat in Ren's voice when before he'd just said this coldly, and without any inflection whatsoever.

"As I am positive we have nothing left to say to each other, why were you so determined to get my attention that you had to bribe the help?!" she whirled to face him, her voice sharp.

Jack barked out a loud, harsh laugh.

"You've been holed up in that fortress you Yonedas have for nearly a solid week. What did you expect me to do?"

"Nothing _._ I expected nothing _."_ she hissed, advancing towards him, her hands clenched in the layers of her kimono fabric. Kyoko felt her pulse racing as she did this, wondering if she was finally meeting the man in front of her on the battlefield.

He smirked as he turned away from the table, leaning against it with his legs spread wide and straddling the bench he was sitting on. "I presume you know your _beloved_ husband came to the base yesterday."

Yayoi stopped a few feet away from him as he said this, her nerves quickly overwhelming her anger at his rude and arrogant behavior.

Jack's gaze was steely with displeasure as he looked her over, "Imagine my surprise when my CO gave me the list of men who had volunteered for the mission we're undertaking tomorrow, with his name on it. Can you imagine how surprised I was then? As you well know, I am very aware of how much you two love and cherish each other. And yet, the loving, fairytale-like newlyweds are to be separated? This seemed so odd to me. Isn't that odd Yoneda-sama?"

Her heart felt like it was about to escape her chest, it was pounding so hard. She searched for anything to say in response to this, but her nerves had well and truly overwhelmed her good sense and she could find nothing to say. Jack stood, slowly, and she hurried around him, desperate to get further away from his intimidating presence. He turned slightly, keeping her in his eyesight, and lips lifted in a mirthless smile.

"It made me wonder you know. How a pathetic man like that could have possibly gained your lasting affection. You, who trained practically from birth in the traditions of the Yoneda family. You, who could even run circles around Yoneda Michitada if it was a discussion regarding the stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. You, who became a scion of the Yoneda family when your own sister stepped down in deference to your abilities."

She was frozen in place as he spoke, his words lifting all the veils she'd hidden herself behind. She stared down at the wood grain of the floor beneath her, desperately trying to think of a plausible plan of escape.

"So I did some digging," he continued. "Asked around. Hell, even your own family dropped clues that helped me put it together." he paused.

Even then, Yayoi couldn't manage to lift her head, or to speak words of protest. Her thoughts of escape were fading as she realized their fruitlessness. Still, she stepped backward, trying to put distance between them. But for every step backward she took, he took a step forward, keeping her attention on him. His words and his presence were slowly but surely baiting her into a trap, and she felt as if it was about to snap shut on her.

"The day you turned sixteen, Yamamoto Daisuke asked your father for your hand. Your father turned him down flat, citing your age and your educational prospects. The day you turned seventeen, Yamamoto Daisuke once more asked your father for your hand. Your father denied him again." Taylor paced nearer her as he talked, his tone almost hypnotic. She'd run out of space to maneuver in, and was stuck with a table behind her, and him in front of her.

"The day after you turned eighteen, your father was ensconced in a hospital room, unresponsive from a mugging attack in Yokosuka that Yamamoto Daisuke wound up saving your father from. He was praised even, as he got there just in the nick of time."

She trembled ever so slightly and his voice got quieter.

"The day after you turned eighteen, the Yoneda family invited Yamamoto Daisuke into their inner compound. They brought him there to thank him for saving Yoneda Michitada. They asked him, after showering him with food and drink and having you perform the tea ceremony for him, however could they repay the debt they had accrued with him. And Yamamoto Daisuke once more asked for your hand."

The trap snapped shut. Yayoi could do nothing but stare down at her hands where she'd clenched them together as he'd talked. Absently, she noted the tears that were dripping down her cheeks. Jack spoke again.

"Tell me, Yoneda-sama , how did you feel that day, when your mother agreed?"

She said nothing. Jack scoffed, and turned away, disgusted by her unresponsiveness.

When she looked up again, the only evidence of her tears were the tracks they'd left behind. She watched him walk nearer to her, and still didn't meet his gaze. They stood there for a moment longer in silence, and when she dared to meet his eyes once more, she saw that the look on his face had twisted into something more desperate.

"Answer me." he demanded.

"To what end?" Yayoi, and Kyoko, asked the man, unable to to keep silent when he had that look on his face.

Jack clenched his hand tight around his uniform cap to try to control his anger. When that didn't work, he couldn't stop himself from expressing his anger further by shoving a pile of plates and bowls off the table he was near. Kyoko was able to bury her surprise the instant it flared up, but it was undeniable that a ripple of surprise ran through the room, when Ren just smiled in satisfaction when they crashed to the floor.

Yayoi just raised her chin and looked Jack in the eye. His satisfaction dried up in an instant and he snarled his next words, his fury renewed. But Yayoi didn't even bat an eyelash at his temper.

"Why are you allowing this to happen?! He is _leaving_ you. And for what?! For what?!"

Yayoi just looked at him, her expression blank, and empty. Jack's heart ached as he searched her face for an answer she refused to give. He felt like he was teetering on a cliff's edge when she finally spoke.

Yayoi bowed deeply, "Commander Taylor-san, as you are very aware of our circumstances now, I must ask a personal favor."

Jack felt dread overwhelming him, and his temper left him an instant as he began to beg, "No wait, please, Yoneda-sama, please, if you care for me in anyway-"

Yayoi talked over him, "Please, Commander-san, please watch over my husband while he is away."

Jack closed his eyes as despair swept over him and his let his uniform cap drop to the floor as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Yoneda-sama," he knew his voice was too raw, too emotional, and he didn't care, "Yoneda-sama, I knew you were cruel, but to ask this..."

Jack's features twisted bitterly as he caught sight of her silent form and her still downturned face.

"What do you think will be the outcome?" Jack demanded of her, striding forward and grabbing her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye, "What? He remains under my protection until we once more dock in Yokosuka after this mission? He arrives safely home and you live in a loveless, arranged marriage until one or the both of you shuffle off this mortal coil?" his gaze demanded her attention as he asked this, and she couldn't look away.

"Alternately, he does not survive this mission. And you feel both relief and guilt when you get the news. You think you are free. At least, until the Yoneda family once more decides to shackle you into an advantageous marriage. And maybe, just maybe, in this one you'll even have babies. And you will look at that husband, and at those children every single day, knowing that they were not the choice that you would have made yourself."

She finally tore her gaze away and forced her face away from his hand once he fell silent. She stepped away from him, and her heart raced as she tried to deny his words to herself and failed, utterly and completely.

"Am I wrong?" he asked, his tone less furious now.

In some deep, dark part of herself, she knew he spoke the truth. She closed her eyes as she also acknowledged that it simply did not matter.

She bowed again, "Lieutenant Commander Taylor-san, I beg of you, please do your best to keep my husband safe."

It seemed that was the commander's breaking point, and anger emanated from his every gesture, as he jerked her head up, his hand tight on her jaw. She stumbled a little, trying to orient herself, but he didn't let go.

"No, oh no. You will look me in the eye and know what it does to me when you ask me that." his lips were twisted, with a sneer on his face, but his eyes were desperately, desperately unhappy.

She swallowed hard, and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. His eyes tracked that movement like a hawk, and she knew he could feel her pulse racing.

"Ask me _Yoneda-sama,_ " his voice was low, and cruelly mocking. Kyoko desperately wanted to hold him, and tell him it was okay. And she knew Yayoi felt the same. It made her heart ache.

She felt tears gathering at the corner of her eyes, and her voice was rough when she responded.

"Please, please keep my husband safe."

His eyes glittered with maybe tears, and his lips were still twisted into a snarl when he dragged his hand from her jaw, and moved it to the back of her neck. He pressed their foreheads together, and his next words were spoken quietly, his breath falling over her lips.

"Remember this moment Yoneda Yayoi. This is not what I wanted. This is not what you wanted. _And you asked anyway._ Remember this, because I promise you, I will _never_ forget."

His face was absolutely blank when he stepped away from her, every inch the impressive Lieutenant Commander of the US Navy. Yoneda Yayoi did nothing but return his look, measure for measure, her posture and composure depicting nothing but the demure young proprietress she'd been trained to be. In neither of their demeanors, was there evidence of what just took place. He stepped back, away from her, toward the back entrance of the teahouse. He held her gaze for one moment more, before he turned his back on her.

"Remember this Yoneda-sama," she stiffened again as he spoke, facing away from her, "You never would have needed to ask in the first place. I would have watched over him, and kept him safe even if you had never asked. Because that is the duty of a commander, and it would have been dishonorable to do otherwise."

With that, he exited, and Yayoi was left alone in the backroom. Slowly, ever so slowly, she lowered herself to the floor, and laid her fingertips on the uniform cap he left behind. Another second passed, then her fingers curled into the fabric, and she curled her form over the cap as she dragged it into her lap. After a long, silent moment, her blank face crumpled as she began to sob, soundlessly, her chest heaving with the force of the emotion running through her.

It wasn't until she felt an arm around her shoulders that she realized the scene must have ended. She looked up, tears still on her face, and Ren looked back, tear tracks on his cheeks and appearing as emotionally scraped raw as she felt. She reached her hands up, to clasp them around his neck, and he lifted her effortlessly into his arms.

"Here, bury your face in my chest, Shingai is giving us a break. You can hide now." He whispered this quietly into her ear, and Kyoko promptly hid her face as he suggested.

There was only a quiet murmuring around the room as she felt him walk towards the exit to the outdoors. She let out another shuddery sob, and a sniffle, and felt him place a small kiss to her hair. He felt so warm that she couldn't help but curl into it more, smelling the ever-present scent of coffee hanging off him, mixed in with the clean smell of the clothing he wore.

She was interrupted from enjoying that relaxing sensation when he abruptly stopped walking.

"Oohara-senpai." She felt him dip his head a little in deference, but it was the terminology that made her stop sniffling she was so surprised.

"Ren-kun. You two, you were remarkable."

"Thank you Oohara-senpai."

"Please quit calling me senpai."

"You are my senpai, nonetheless."

Kyoko started to mop up her face as Oohara-san let out a small chuckle. She felt the timbre of Ren's voice resonating where she had her ear pressed to his chest. Kyoko shivered when he spoke again.

"After all, you experience nothing from the chances you never take, right?"

There was a few seconds of silence, then Kyoko heard Oohara-san reply, "Well done Ren-kun."

Ren bowed his head a little again, and stepped through the door to the outside. As it shut, Kyoko heard Oohara-san say softly,

"Don't worry, I've got your backs. No one will bother you."

Ren sat her down in the grass, and Kyoko turned her face up to the afternoon sun, basking in the heat as it dried the last of her tears. As she didn't want to say anything about the scene they'd just done, or the resulting emotional rollercoaster, Kyoko instead said,

"Oohara-senpai is very kind."

"Quite."

And they sat there, in quiet, companionable silence.

…

Ren swirled his drink in his glass as he stared at it despondently. When that didn't unearth any answers, he stared back up at the stars. But all that reminded him of, was his and Kyoko's date at the observatory. His mind went in circles like this, over and over. And all his heart did was ache. All he wanted was to be next to her right then, holding her, or talking with her. He wanted to watch her expressive face as it flickered through reactions he could provoke from her. He wanted to see her enjoy the stars as she had at the observatory.

Ren sighed. He wanted many, many things. And he knew he was a long, long way off from being able to have any of it. He set his glass down, leaning back and stretching out his legs. They'd had a nice quiet moment after shooting that scene that afternoon, but Ren hadn't felt himself grow calmer until night had fallen and the stars had come out. Maybe it was just Kyoko's love for them that was making him more relaxed, but he appreciated it nonetheless. It'd been a helluva day.

He shifted around, rearranging so he didn't feel the coolness of the bars of the roof railing against his back so much. As he did so, he felt an uncomfortable heaviness in his pants pocket. He rummaged inside and found his phone. He stared at it for a second. Then another second more. Even in his less-than-sober state, he knew it was stupid, but that didn't stop him.

He brought up their text messages and started reading through them. With every emoticon, he smiled. With every exchange of _princess_ and _knight,_ that smile grew. But when he came across his photo he'd sent her weeks before, of the starry night sky, his smile disappeared.

Ren knew he'd messed up. He knew it'd be a while before he'd be able to make it up to her. He knew their scene they'd shot together that afternoon was an ok beginning, but that didn't make up for his mistake. He knew that. But the most frustrating thing about it all was undoubtedly that not only had he disappointed her, he'd disappointed himself. And he'd disappointed everyone that had tried to help him out. Again.

"God why I am so useless?" He asked aloud as he thumped his head back against the roof's railing. He felt like apologizing to everyone he'd ever known, but knew that thought was silly even as it crossed his mind.

"She doesn't want apologies, dumbass." He said to himself. But how was he supposed to show that he was taking her demands seriously? He then reprimanded himself again for being useless.

"I can't meet her on the battlefield like this." He muttered. He _desperately, desperately_ wanted to meet her there. Act six was but two weeks away. He _had_ to be able to meet her by then.

He'd been dreaming of that moment since Shingai had first brought her up as an option for the Yoneda Yayoi role months ago. Of course, he'd not had Act Four or Six at the time, and he hadn't even realized how difficult the scenes would be until he'd gotten those scripts a couple weeks ago, but that wasn't the point. The point was, he'd promised himself then, and had promised her a week ago, that he'd do whatever it took so they could meet each other as equals and get the job done. _And I have failed miserably_ , he thought to himself, admonishing himself again.

He stared down blankly at his phone, hesitating for a moment. _I made a promise_. This thought was a surprisingly strong one, and it overwhelmed his slightly drunken haze, and reverberated throughout his mind. _I made a promise. Promises are meant to be kept._ His resolve strengthened a little more and he set his jaw, his lips pressed tightly together in thought.

His thumb hovered over the call button. He stared at it for a second longer, but pressed down on the button before his conviction disappeared. He put his phone to his ear.

Across the ocean, thousands of miles away, a phone in the Hizuri household began to ring.

...

My word. This chapter is the longest part of this monster. Legit though, could not figure out where to cut it. What can ya do...

Music that inspired this chapter: Specifically, the song After Many Miles by The Ghosts of Paul Revere. However, also some other musicians, like Marty OReilly and the Old Soul Orchestra, Barns Courtney, The Score, Little Hurricane, and Tribe Society.

Once more, I thank all my lovely reviewers. I love reading all of your responses.

 **Special Shoutout to:** Ariasm, CopyrightKooky, Michiyo, Daamile, lashun316, teal, and Aikori

As always, a very special thanks to brennakai.

Regards, artsy


	6. Chapter 6

Ahhhh...finally an update. I apologize for the wait everyone! Warning, it's as long as chapter five, because I yet again couldn't decide where to cut it. Anyhoooow...

Enjoy!

…

Ren's heartbeat raced as he heard the phone ring once, twice, thrice, before finally, he heard a click as the call connected, and then a slightly breathless voice came over the line.

"This is Juli, may I ask who's speaking?"

Ren immediately teared up at the sound of his mother's voice. His breath hitched, but he managed to get the words out.

"Hey mom. It's me."

He caught the sound of a shocked noise, and then a whisper, "... Baby? Kuon? Is that my baby?"

He half laughed, half sobbed, "Yeah mom, it's me."

"Kuon, what, what is this?" Juli's words were shaky and her voice sounded like it was trembling.

"It's just me stopping myself from staying so stubborn. That's all, I promise."

His mother's sniffles were clearly heard through the connection, and a pang of heartache shot through him.

"I'm so sorry mom. I'm so sorry."

"Me too baby. I'm sorry too. I never realized what the problem was to begin with. Does, is, does this mean I can see you soon? What do you need?"

And wasn't that just like his mother, immediately trying to find a way to help.

"Yeah. I'd like to see you and dad soon. I think, I think I need some help."

"Is everything ok Kuon? We can be out there in a day, depending on the weather and flights available and-"

"No, no, mom, god, it's not that pressing. I promise, I'm in good health, I've not taken on too much work, I've not gotten into trouble with the law, no tabloids are gossiping about me going around with women. Let me see..did I miss anything? I can't remember..." he interrupted what seemed like might be the beginning of an anxious rant, wanting to assuage the alarm in Juli's voice, and the many reasons it might be there. He searched his brain, trying to figure out if there was anything he might have missed.

He didn't realize Juli had sat there on the line, waiting for a moment, before she piped up again, sounding disgruntled, "I see your father's been telling tales of my concern for my only child." she sniffed haughtily. That broke the concern he felt, and he couldn't help but laugh. He then hurried to reassure her.

"Ah mom, I promise. I just wanted to make sure you knew I was ok."

Juli sounded slightly mollified as she spoke again, "Well alright, tell me about why you actually called then. What do you need help with?"

"Ah, geez, this might take a bit. You in the middle of anything?" He asked, wanting to make sure Juli didn't set the kitchen on fire if she was in the middle of making breakfast. He was pretty sure he'd called about nine am their time.

"No, your father already left and I just ate. I don't leave until this afternoon for the work I need to do today."

"Well, alright. So I have this role I'm working on…" he quickly explained the point to point development of his Jack Taylor role, and his mom sprinkled in surprised exclamations of ' _No!', 'Wow, really?!',_ ' _So brave!'_ and _'Oh wow, how romantic!'_ in between parts of his explanation. He had to smile. He had known when getting this role, that it would be one his parents would love. Perhaps, in retrospect, that had been some of the best part of its appeal to him. Hesitating a little, but determined, he then explained the issues he'd caused that day.

Juli made sympathetic noises once he'd finished, "Oh, darling. That sounds so rough. I hate it when I do the same thing."

Intellectually, he understood that his parents made the same mistakes he did, no one was perfect, but he had to laugh a little as she didn't even scold him.

"You spoil me too much mom." Juli huffed as he said this.

"It's easy to get too wrapped up in some other aspect of your work, and mess up somewhere else. No one's perfect."

He sighed, leaned his back against the roof railing, and smiled, "Thanks mom."

"You're welcome Kuon. That can't be all that's bothering you though. Not for you to have gone ahead and given us a call. It may have taken me some time, but I do know now that even if I think I might have helped, you probably need help with other things too. That other stuff you talked about, did you need help there? Would your great aunt's journals be helpful? Oh, but wouldn't that be with your great uncle's things there?" Juli asked.

He was touched that just in the span of their conversation, his mother had realized and understood that he'd called for more than one reason. A fresh wave of affection welled up inside him and he found himself responding, despite his misgivings. "Actually, that's not it at all. And it's dad's great aunt and uncle."

"Well, whichever," He stopped himself from laughing out loud as her tone of voice let him perfectly picture her doing her classic shrugging pose.

"Ok, alright, what I need help with here specifically from you and dad, might be much more difficult than we might think."

Juli's voice was full of intrigue when she spoke again, "Ok then. Well, I've got time. Let's lay this out, see what we can do. I'll bet your dad will be so upset he missed a classic Hizuri planning session!" she laughed and he joined her, mirth bubbling up inside, finally washing away the last of the awkwardness he felt in calling them after so long.

"Yeah," he said, "I bet he will. So here is what I was thinking…"

...

When Ren hadn't returned to their shared dorm room for hours past when he should have, Nick had finally gotten curious as to where he'd gone and he'd went wandering. In his wandering, he'd come across Kyoko-san in the kitchen- who'd only scowled and muttered into her tea when he'd asked a couple questions, a frazzled looking Director Shingai-san in the editing room-who also couldn't help him, and a frowning Yashiro-san in the lounge-who actually had helped him eventually.

Nick blew out a harrassed sigh. When Yashiro-san had pointed him to either the outdoors, or the roof, Nick had wanted to kick himself. Of course Ren would go to places like those. It had been a tendency of his to run to open space whenever he felt troubled, and it'd been that way for as long as Nick had known Ren.

Nick stepped out onto the roof of their building after he'd checked the tables outside. He got lucky when he spotted Ren leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, with what looked to be a liquor bottle next to him that was two-thirds of the way full. Nick also noticed the phone, and a half-full glass next to him. Curiouser and curiouser. Nick had been with the base personnel most of the day, so he'd only heard rumors of what had happened, but he'd thought Ren might be more upset than what his current drinking indicated.

He stepped close enough to hit the bottom of Ren's shoe with his own.

"Hey, man, you awake?"

One of Ren's eyelids cracked open, then slipped closed again, and he grunted. Nick rolled his eyes, and squatted down next to him, taking a sip from Ren's glass. _Damn, he grabbed vodka._ Nick let out a silent whistle, impressed. He set it back down, and decided to see if he could annoy Ren at all; Nick kind of wanted to after it had taken so long to find him.

"Yo, Ren, my dude, my pal, BROOOO," Nick made his voice louder, and louder, before Ren's eyes snapped open again, and he finally reacted by kicking Nick's feet out from under him. Nick cursed loudly, but rolled over so he sat down, his legs criss-crossed as he leaned against the railing as well.

"Jackass," he muttered.

Ren kicked at him again and Nick scowled.

"Whatever. You never called your manager back. What's that about?" Nick asked.

"He's been annoying me all week."

"That's rare. Does this have anything to do with you avoiding Kyoko-san all week?"

Ren shot him a glare, "I wasn't avoiding her-"

"Yeah, whatever. I always do the base personnel stuff, then tell you what's important. You attended waaaay too many meetings this week that you didn't need to, to try to pull that one on me." Nick leveled an even stare at the younger man until Ren dropped his gaze and looked away.

"What does my manager want?"

"It was weird. I was looking for you because you hadn't come back to the dorms, and when I came across him, he said if I found you to just let you know that he uploaded the video you wanted. He said to check the usual place?" Nick shrugged.

That explanation successfully captured Ren's attention though, and he straightened from where he'd been leaning, and started tapping at his phone. Nick leaned over his shoulder, trying to figure out what it was. When the shaky video started up, and Nick caught sight of the set, he realized it must be from that afternoon. Nick's curiosity grew. Nearly every rumor that'd been going around, had said that the work done that afternoon was remarkable.

Ren played the footage through once, and then once again. When he went to do it a third time, Nick interrupted, "Man, what are you looking for?"

Surprisingly, Ren only frowned, then looked over at him. "Here, you watch it. Tell me what you think."

Nick was slightly irritated that Ren was suddenly so demanding, but shrugged it off. He was curious anyway. He couldn't stop himself from talking about it anyway, once he really started to analyze it.

"Oooh, that was good of Kyoko-san there. She's seems very aware of your presence. She shows her nervousness well. Oh yes, of course Jack would be angry like this here. He's so upset that she won't choose to break free from her family's demands. Oh, that was good there Ren. Jack's so angry because he knows he shouldn't want her, oh but he _does_ , he can't help himself. He wants her to break free when he couldn't, yes, this is very good. Oh wow, the way she just...crumples there...she wants what he's been offering, but of course she can't do what he wants...oh Kyoko-san, that's beautif-."

Ren shoved a hand in his face, tucking his phone out of sight as Nick started to sputter, "Hey, you jackass! You asked! What the fu-"

"Quit talking! Christ, you like it, I get it."

Nick stared as Ren's cheeks burned bright red.

"Oh my god. Are you...are you seriously embarrassed by your work here? God, what is that even like? Why aren't you just proud of yourself for doing a good job?"

"This was hard, alright!?"

"Obviously. It was always going to be hard. Did you think it would be easy?"

Ren flushed, and turned away and Nick marveled to see it.

"Look man, I don't think I get what your problem is here. For that matter, what about this scene bothered you so much that you were avoiding it all week?"

Ren groaned a little, thumping his head against the railing, "I just, look, being that vulnerable… Just acting it out that way, maybe I can do that when I'm older, but I have too little experience to be able to do that successfully now. Haven't you heard? I always play the gentleman roles. Playing that kind of character is easy. Stern with work, always gentle with women…That's easy. This? This was unbelievably difficult."

"Are you being self-pitying right now? I watched Dark Moon you know, Katsuki was far more three dimensional than what you just described."

"And he was incredibly difficult too."

Nick frowned. "What are you saying? What's the actual problem here? You're putting too much of yourself into roles like this?"

"I guess that could be the problem, yeah," Ren muttered, his tone of voice thoughtful.

"Well then, let's break this down. You had to express anger, you did it well. You had to express betrayal, desperation, need. You did it all. What did you want me to find fault with here? Do you want me to scold you because you found a way to work this scene?"

Nick sighed loudly after a moment when Ren didn't respond, "Look man, yeah it's exhausting to pour your heart and soul into a role like that, but you wanted to make your mark didn't you? You wanted to show the world what you could do. You can't do that unless you face things like this head on. Take a break if your last year of work took too much out of you, but as someone who has a quarter of the determination to do well that you do, quit your pity party. You had a problem. You could have handled it better by all accounts, but you did your job anyway."

"Jesus. Tell me what you really think of me," said Ren, scowling.

Nick rolled his eyes, "You're too hard on yourself. And a tad overdramatic in my opinion."

Ren glared and sent out a little kick with his foot that got Nick right on his shin. Nick swore as he rubbed at it, "God you're an ass sometimes."

"Yes, yes I am."

The two sat there in silence for a bit, discontented all around, before Ren took out his phone again and replayed the scene, frowning all the while.

After a little while, Nick was curious enough to ask, "What is it now?"

Ren shrugged.

Nick sat there for a while longer, staring up at the sky, while Ren paused it, then replayed a portion. Nick heard the sound of dishes hitting the floor.

"What upsets you about that?" Nick asked softly.

Ren hesitated, and when he spoke, it was practically inaudible.

"I… I was angry."

"You were supposed to be."

"No. Not Jack. I mean, yes, Jack was angry, but _I,_ I was angry too."

"That's not that strange."

"Anger is dangerous."

Nick darted a quick look over at Ren, but Ren was staring at the paused screen, his face twisted up in pain. Nick studied him carefully out of the corner of his eye.

"We're only human Ren, we're going to get angry."

"Anger can make you lose everything you have ever worked for," said Ren quietly. Nick turned to more clearly observe Ren's features, trying to figure out where this was coming from.

"Ren," Nick started, hesitating a little, "You're entitled to what you feel. What you do with your anger is a different matter, but it's dangerous to pretend to not feel it. Your feelings are yours and you're allowed to have them. Own it."

Ren looked over at him, something raw and fragile in his eyes that Nick didn't recognize. Ren's mood had been hard to parse since Nick had stumbled across him, but Nick didn't think he could decipher the look on his face if he had help to do it. Nick abruptly changed the subject.

"Aren't you being too judgemental with this scene right now in any case? This is a little weird for me to ask, but you did this with your narration too. Even Kyoko-san noticed. You didn't like that Jack felt shame. You don't like that he's angry. If Shingai-san was calling you out for your fear of what was it again...on-screen vulnerability? Well, then I think he was actually right to do it. You're only _playing_ Jack. You shouldn't be passing judgement on him. Isn't that acting 101? One of the first things we're taught?"

Ren's mouth opened and shut, without sound making it out for a long moment. Nick could only be relieved that the strange expression on his face was completely wiped away by the switch in subject matter. As he thought this, Ren groaned and let out a huge sigh, "Man. I'm getting way too wrapped up in my own head. I'm thinking way too much about how other people are going to judge Jack. You got me, man. It's a newbie mistake. I can't believe I fell into that trap."

Nick smiled a little, sympathizing with Ren's plight, "I get it man, I do. You feel really deeply about how he'll come across to the people watching the show. But, and just bear with me a second, but _why_ did you actually take this role?"

Ren studied the paused video for a moment, thinking, "I, well, in the beginning, I thought I'd do best as Interpreter Tanaka."

"What? Really? Miura-san's role?"

Ren nodded, sighing as he remembered the beginning of the summer and how much hassle he'd caused everyone. "Yeah, really. Shingai-san sent me a script, because he'd worked with me before and wanted some people he knew he could work well with. It's such a big cast, he thought it'd be easier. Interpreter Tanaka instantly stood out as a possibility."

"So, what happened then?"

"Takashi-san happened, actually. She kept asking me why I chose the interpreter. Why him? Why the interpreter? It wasn't that visible of a role, and my reputation preceeded me. But, when I kept trying to explain, I kept talking about the potential of how groundbreaking this show could be, how it was important to me that I be a part of that, because I thought the message itself was so important."

"Interpreter Tanaka was easy. He's unabashedly a good guy. You knew that type of role like the back of your hand. For something with so complicated a message, you wanted to play it safe with doing a role that would be easy for you." Nick smiled wryly, but he understood. Ren nodded, a short embarrassed nod. "So then what happened?"

"I was intrigued by Jack in Act One, certainly. The script direction and the character biography was interesting, but then Takashi-san gave me Act Two. And Act Two made me want to play Jack."

Nick's own script for Act Two was pretty short; he was only in a few scenes. He wondered if Takashi-san had given Ren the entire actual script to go through. That'd be a curious moment of whimsy from their reserved scriptwriter, if that was the truth. Ren spoke again.

"Jack, as a character, doesn't approach others much, as his own family drilled it into his head that he needed to focus on his path forward, that he needed to make something of himself, to make up for his... _beginnings._ " Ren sneered that last word, in a surprising show of a disgust. Nick glanced at him warily for a second, before Ren kept talking.

"Jack has this fascination for Yayoi. She so easily approaches others, she wants to connect with them. Jack, he kind of spurned that type of behavior, he played it safe, like his family always wanted. But he can never turn away when Yayoi approaches him, he just can't. She's too good-natured." Ren sighed and Nick relaxed a little and leaned against the roof's railing. To be sure, all this talk of Jack and Yayoi and their appeal made him remember the appeal of Lt Bill Burnham that made Nick say yes to Ren's request.

"All those lessons from Yayoi's father bore fruit and all that. To be humble, and wise. To be a thinker, because knowledge is power. To teach others, because if you can, you should. Jack recognizes in Yayoi, the loneliness associated with trying to be everything your family ever wanted from you. I guess, well, something about that dynamic, I had to see if I could do that."

"It's interesting," said Nick softly, contemplatively.

"Is it?"

"Yep," said Nick, popping the sound of the p with a hard smack of his lips.

Ren's gaze swung over to him, studying him, but Nick kept quiet. They sat there in silence, before Ren sighed.

"Seriously man, I answered your question. What's interesting?"

Nick shrugged. Inexplicably though, he found himself speaking up, "Are you so hard on yourself because of your family's expectations? Do you judge yourself so harshly because you're trying to live up to some impossible goal?"

Nick wished he'd said nothing though, when Ren's face went white, his eyes wide and stunned. Nick stammered, "Um, I mean, uh, you do you man, uh, don't take that too seriously. Oh, look at the time, don't we have a meeting we need to get to in the morning?"

Nick let out a nervous laugh, as he scrambled up and away from Ren.

"No, Nick, wait." Ren stood too, and his hand reached out to Nick's elbow to stop him, "Look, man, it's alright. It's true. I made a dumb mistake this week. And yes it's because I have high expectations of myself. I'm sorry if I make you feel so uneasy that you just got scared of how I would react."

Nick stepped back, trying to shrug off his own reaction, "Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you as much as I wound up doing."

"Hey it's fine. Come on, you're right. I shouldn't be up here wallowing. Let's get going, hm? We do have an appointment with Takashi-san in the morning after all."

Ren gathered his things and they got going, but Nick couldn't help but feel guilty for overstepping, even as he felt relief that the conversation dwindled to nothing. He studied the tense lines of Ren's shoulders as he went ahead of him, and pondered whether there could be something he could help Ren with, as compensation for bothering him. But as they settled into sleep so they could meet up with Takashi-san and the others in the morning, Nick still wasn't sure what that could be.

…

Even a couple days later, Yashiro Yukihito was still marveling over the events of Friday afternoon, and the subsequent fallout. His observations were somewhat incomplete, due to other matters he'd been trying to keep well in hand, but they had revealed a few things. For whatever reason, Ren was not wallowing in his mistakes. This was good, in Yashiro's expert opinion. A self-pitying Ren made everyone feel down, and brought down the whole atmosphere of a production.

Kyoko, well, Kyoko had apparently retreated behind a professional, demure facade. Her second level of defense was one Kotonami Kanae. Anytime either were approached by various cast and crew-who were overwhelmingly curious about Friday's events, they were promptly shut down. Kyoko was polite about it, but Kotonami-san tossed out sardonic remarks in response like they were going out of style.

Yashiro admired Kotonami-san's certain brand of viciousness, but he did find the pattern to be a worrying one. Would Kyoko always retreat and throw up Kotonami Kanae for defense whenever Ren upset her? Yashiro was unsure about the answer to that question. Did Kotonami-san just want to protect Kyoko? Yashiro thought that might be more likely. Like the change in Kyoko and Ren he'd observed since the act of the Heel Siblings, so too had he been observing the change and growth in Kyoko and Kotonami-san's relationship since _A Sacred Lotus in the Mire_ had been finished.

He had actually been provoked into taking more action on the _Lotus_ set himself as an LME manager, as Kyoko and Kotonami-san trying to wade through those waters by themselves had proven to be incredibly more difficult than anyone had anticipated. So he'd fallen into this particular observational habit then, and had kept with it, and Yashiro was glad he had done so. Kotonami-san's protectiveness could possibly just be a holdover from the summer. Yashiro wasn't going to count that out just yet.

As Yashiro continued scribbling down notes in his planner and pondering this, one Takimoto Misaki entered the lounge where he was at.

"Yashiro-san? Good morning! I didn't expect anyone to be up at this hour. What are you up to?" Takimoto-san's cheery voice as she asked this startled Yashiro, and he found himself blinking at her absently for a second. Then he cleared his throat, and set his pen down.

"Good morning Takimoto-san. I had some business I needed to get done. Why are you up so early?"

She held up a camera and a small notebook, "Homework myself. Have to get it in before noon. My professor is a stickler for that."

"I can't believe you were able to continue with school while on location." said Yashiro, admiring the determination that required. Kyoko had been able to do so, but she was at a highschool that let their students do that, not a college that had stricter attendance regulations.

Takimoto-san shrugged, "I just made sure to have two classes this semester once I got hired for this. They can both be done online, and I can watch the videos of their lectures when I have time."

"What a clever way to get around the attendance issue," remarked Yashiro.

"Well, I don't have too many classes to go until I graduate, I was determined."

Yashiro studied her while she settled into a chair across from him. "How did you come across this type of work anyway?"

"Oh, actually I was scouted. I work at a traditional restaurant part-time while I go to college, and a director needed someone who was familiar with that setting for a series he was doing. I wound up getting an agency through that production, and well, here I am."

"Fascinating," Yashiro murmured. "What's your favorite part of the business?"

Takimoto-san tilted her head to the side, chewing thoughtfully on her pen, "I don't know. All the people maybe? There's so many things you have to consider when interacting with so many different types of people, and I find that really interesting and challenging."

Yashiro once more wished Takimoto-san was interested in attending the LME manager training classes.

"I see. Any favorites of yours that come to mind?" Yashiro thought she might mention Momose-san again when he asked this. But, Takimoto-san had proven to have a really interesting perspective on things, so he was still curious.

She tapped her pen against her notebook as she pondered this. Eventually, after a moment, she spoke again, "I think, actually, your clients might be my favorite people to observe. I don't know that you were there, but watching them at lunch yesterday was fascinating."

"Oh?"

"Yep. Well, you know how the special Sunday lunch dessert is gelatin. I had previously observed that while Tsuruga-san really only ate jelly desserts like that, he didn't yesterday. That was curious. But then I thought, oh he might not be too hungry. Didn't think too much of it." She paused and Yashiro nodded along, intrigued by what she was saying.

"Well, second thing I noticed, he didn't sit at Kyoko-chan's table. He sat at Nick-san's. Again, nothing unusual by itself. But then, guess who _did_ sit at Kyoko-chan's table?"

"Who?" asked Yashiro, totally taken in by how Takimoto was telling her story.

" _Atsushi-san!_ "

Yashiro stared at her excited face for a second, inexplicably feeling disappointed, "Oh, that's all? Well, those two have gotten close, that's not actually too surprising."

Takimoto-san scoffed, "It is actually! He usually sits with Miura-san. Maybe sits elsewhere if Miura-san isn't around, but Miura-san was there! He turned down Miura-san, a close coworker by all accounts, to sit with Kyoko-chan!"

Yashiro tried to follow this logic, "Alright, I guess that's a little unusual." Atsushi-san did tend to prefer sitting with Miura-san, as Miura-san had a toddler and Atsushi-san asked him all sorts of things about being a good dad.

" _Of course_ it's unusual! And do you know what Tsuruga-san did?"

"I've clearly not attended enough Sunday lunches, so no," replied Yashiro dryly.

"He saw that Atsushi-san and Kyoko-chan were sitting together and having a good time, and he then moved himself _and Nick-san_ to Oohara-san's table!"

Well that was downright befuddling, "...What?"

"Oohara-san's table was catty-corner to Kyoko-chan's and since Kyoko-chan and Atsushi-san kept telling jokes and making everyone laugh, then it had to have riled up Tsuruga-san, right?! Because there he went to Oohara-san's table, which included ladies Tsuruga-san generally tends to avoid, and then he and Nick-san totally played it up. People from each table kept including each other in all the joking going around, but guess what?"

Yashiro found himself completely absorbed by this recount of yesterday's lunch, and said, "What?!" Without any shame in how high his pitch had climbed.

"Kyoko-chan and Tsuruga-san didn't once turn to each other and talk! Not once!"

Yashiro was gobsmacked, "Not once?!"

"No, not once! But guess what happened?"

"What?"

"Kyoko-chan slid her jello over to Tsuruga-san's tray when most of the rest were turned away looking at something Nick-san was doing, and was sneaky enough about it that no one said a word!"

Yashiro admired Kyoko's craftiness, even while he swooned over how cute the behavior was. It wasn't often anymore that he was surprised by Kyoko's sweetness, but he had to admit, that was downright adorable.

"Kyoko-chan must be trying to cheer him up, right? That's what I thought, but then lunch ended and everybody started going their separate ways, and when Kyoko-chan stood up, Tsuruga-san nearly dropped the glass he was drinking from!" said Takimoto-san, her features full of mirth. "He must have only just then noticed what she was wearing because he got such an agitated look on his face!" Takimoto-san giggled and Yashiro wanted to facepalm.

Having seen the nicely embroidered sweater dress Kyoko-chan had worn yesterday when they'd met up for dinner, Yashiro somewhat understood that reaction but, that boy…Yashiro focused again on Takimoto-san as she kept talking.

"So Tsuruga-san stood too, and offered her his blazer, and no lie, he said 'Mogami-san, you look chilly, here, put this on.'"

"No, Ren, what were you thinking…" Yashiro groaned and tried to avoid looking directly at the gleeful looking Takimoto-san.

"You should have seen the look on her face! And all she said was, 'So kind of you to offer, Tsuruga-san, but I'm not going outside.' And she just left!"

Yashiro thumped his head against his table and groaned again, "Reeeeen. Seriously? That boy…"

Takimoto-san giggled again, "Your clients are so interesting Yashiro-san!"

This had given him a kernel of an idea though, "Say, Takimoto-san...could you actually do me a favor?"

She looked up from her notebook, curious, "What do you mean Yashiro-san?"

"Actually, I've just gotten really busy, and could use your help to keep an eye on them. I'm worried about them after the things that happened Friday."

Realization dawned on her face and she nodded, "Sure thing Yashiro-san. That was such a draining scene, and they fought over it too. Sure. I could do that. I was worried about them too."

"Thank you so much for this Takimoto-san," he said, "Take some notes maybe, and just hand those to me later in the week, alright?"

"You go it, no problem!" Takimoto-san sent him a reassuring smile. Yashiro was grateful though; killing two birds with one stone was but one way he knew how to increase efficiency. While he felt bad for taking up Takimoto-san's time, he got the impression it wouldn't be too much of an imposition.

…

"I can't say my beginnings are much to talk of, but I'll bet you had a lovely childhood hm, Commander-san? Idyllic maybe?" The words were vicious and Atsushi-san's eyes were like slits as he shot Ren a look of such loathing that Nick, who was only in the scene as Lt Burnham, grew a little nervous.

The scene setup was such that Daisuke had approached the commander, to chat about their mutual acquaintances, but it was a thinly veiled dig to rile up the commander. It thusly degenerated into a heated exchange of words, before the commander recalled that he was the Acting Captain on shift, and needed to rise above such behavior. Nick couldn't really comprehend all the subtext himself, as he wasn't overly familiar with the Yoneda Daisuke part of the storyline. However, if Daisuke was supposed to come off as an arrogant jackass spoiling for a fight, then well, Atsushi-san played that part well.

Nick slid an uneasy glance towards Ren and saw his lips curled up into a sneer, "Yes, so idyllic: a war, a depression, it was the best of times. Perhaps you knew of it? Or were your people too preoccupied with conquest of their sister countries to give a damn?"

"I wouldn't know. I was preoccupied with hopping from orphanage to orphanage because my father was murdered for avoiding enlistment." Atsushi-san snapped back.

Nick and Miura-san exchanged discomfited looks. Miura-san, who played Interpreter Tanaka, had been instructed to translate Daisuke's and Jack's mutterings to each other to Lt Burnham in this scene. Interpreter Tanaka was primarily attached to the mission because there was a need to translate between the base personnel and the Japanese volunteers in scenes like this. Shingai called cut as Miura-san missed his cue, and all four of them stepped away to take five.

Nick rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to rub away some stress of the scene. The ship scenes were probably the most stressful part of Act Five. As Act Five began, their ship departed, and the travel scenes and battle scenes they had on the way to their destination were a complete pain in the ass. On top of the amount of effort it took to traverse the ship set itself (there were several sections to it as they were replicating the USS Butler-class Destroyer Escort Warship as best they could), the tension between Atsushi-san and Ren was becoming increasingly hazardous. Extras had even set up a betting ring the last he'd listened to the rumors, about which one would first start flinging insults outside of their roles of Yoneda Daisuke and Jack Taylor.

Nick had laughed when he'd heard, because as far as he knew, both men were complete professionals. However, their antagonistic looks and behavior during the scenes were definitely getting to Miura-san, who had missed two cues so far that afternoon. He looked over to where Miura-san was talking with Director Shingai, and appeared to be apologizing profusely. Nick sympathized with Miura-san's plight. He was a gentle, considerate type, and was not one for confrontation. The problem therein being, both the Daisuke and Jack roles were aggressive, confrontational types. Shingai would probably set him to rights soon though; the director had been great for that the entire time they'd been shooting the show.

Nick sighed. Either way, he'd be grateful when this episode was done shooting. He was for sure not looking forward to the battle scene, and the amount of running around that it required. They'd rehearsed it just that morning, and his catnap in between that and these scenes was not near enough time for him to rest his poor leg muscles. _At least I'm keeping fit?_ Nick thought to himself ruefully.

As Shingai set everything back up though, and called for cameras to roll again, Nick felt his stress and nervousness dwindle. Ren had been so focused all week, so exceptionally focused, that he couldn't help but be excited to act in scenes with him. This is what he'd been hired to do after all, to act as Taylor's right hand man. Nick smiled a little as he took his place next to Ren. After all their effort, he couldn't wait to see the results.

...

The Wednesday after Yashiro Yukihito had asked her to employ her observational skills on his clients, Takimoto Misaki was more intrigued than ever by Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko. When she'd first met them, or rather, overheard them, they'd been fighting. As they'd all been working together on _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ , there'd been next to no fights between them. And their chemistry on-set had been undeniable. More than once she'd caught the director grinning like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. All of that had certainly sparked a great deal of interest in her about the two people in question. The past few days however, had been fascinating to observe.

Her role, Akari, only had a few scenes in Act Five. Akari visited her mother's bedside once she'd been given medicine by the base doctor, and she had a couple at the teahouse with the Akiyamas and some students, and one with Kyoko where Akari apologized to Yayoi for taking Jack's bribe. In short, she had a lot of free time this week, and the next. And that had made her able to cross-reference their schedules with her own so she could schedule prime observational time.

She'd used that time wisely. As she sat in the dining hall, waiting for Yashiro to meet her on his break, she glanced down at her notes with a smile.

 _Interaction 1_

TR offers MK a fruit cup at lunch. ( _is this done in apology for Sunday lunch? Had he noticed then who gave him the gelatin dessert cup?)_ MK replies. 'I decline Tsuruga-san, but only because I feel you yourself would be better served for having it'. TR has no response and MK simply walks away.

 _Interaction 2_

TR offers to use the exercise room at a later time when he discovers MK is already in it, and she only replies, 'Thank you Tsuruga-san, that's kind of you to offer, but I'll simply cut my exercise routine short. I'm sure your schedule is much heavier than mine.' ( _according to rumor and the events I witnessed myself, this could be a dig about last week)_ Once more, TR has no response, and MK walks away.

The next one she had observed the day before, and she was still pondering it. She'd happened to be in the lobby when Atsushi-san and Kyoko-chan had stopped to chat about something before Atsushi-san was to leave for the set. Nick-san and Tsuruga-san had happened across them, and it appeared that they had all been told to meet up for transport to the ship set. As more people had funneled into the lobby, she'd overheard Tsuruga-san and Kyoko-chan's quietly furious byplay. Misaki studied her notes on it, frowning a little.

 _Interaction 3_

TR: "You and Atsushi-san look to be awfully chatty this week. Some might say immodestly so. You should be more careful." MK: "Your concern is noted, but is not relevant Tsuruga-san. He is merely asking questions of me for his wife. She's very sweet and appreciates my taste in clothing." MK smiles sweetly, and leaves abruptly. TR can do nothing but stare after her until someone else calls him to leave with the rest of the group.

Misaki had been able to be unnoticed enough, that she'd caught sight of Tsuruga-san's face at the time. Personally, she couldn't believe that Tsuruga Ren, of all people, would try to combat Kyoko-chan's polite demeanor by being even more overbearing and demanding. It'd baffled Misaki right up until that moment when she'd caught sight of Tsuruga-san's face. As he'd stared after Kyoko-chan, a small smirk had twitched the corners of his mouth up.

 _What does the smirk mean? Has he actually already planned out her responses?_ Misaki had thought and thought about it, and had begun to realize that perhaps Tsuruga Ren's planning was out of the realm of her own experience with the opposite gender. She'd dealt primarily with boys and their ego, but perhaps Tsuruga Ren was on another playing field entirely.

 _If my theory is correct, the theory that they have already begun a relationship, as I began to postulate at our first read-through, then has he already learned to combat Kyoko-chan's typical responses?_ Why else would a man smirk in such a situation, if not because he had the upper hand? If Tsuruga-san knew being overbearing and pushy would make Kyoko-chan pull up her typically polite demeanor as a defense, then what was his intent aside from that?

Misaki looked over what she'd notated again. She sighed when she finally realized what she'd missed. _You gave him information Kyoko-chan. Rookie mistake._ Kyoko-chan had done so well so far; she'd only turned him away when he'd previously approached her. But this time, this time she'd given up good information. Whether or not Tsuruga Ren really did dislike Atsushi-san taking up so much of Kyoko-chan's time, she'd well-defined the parameters of her interactions with Atsushi-san. She had, in her own polite dismissal, reassured Tsuruga-san that there was nothing to worry about.

Misaki tsked. _Rookie mistake, Kyoko-chan._

She sat there, pondering her notes, until the seat next to her was occupied by one Yashiro Yukihito, who looked a little frazzled.

"Ah...are you alright?" Misaki asked, concerned. Yashiro waved her off, mumbling something about annoying older sisters. She stared for a bit as he pulled out his planner, settled into the chair, and took a sip of water from his water bottle. When he just gestured for her to speak up, she brushed off the weird entrance, and shoved her notes his way.

He looked them over, an intrigued expression on his face. He leaned back in his chair when he was done reviewing them, and tapped the table thoughtfully.

"Your thoughts Takimoto-san?" Yashiro-san asked.

"I think Kyoko-chan is probably feeling bad about last week still, and hasn't figured out what she's going to do about it."

"Well, hasn't her behavior signalled that she disapproves of what Ren's behavior is like? Isn't that doing something?"

Misaki tilted her head in thought, "Potentially. Or she could just be an upset seventeen year old, who's been let down by a person she respects."

Yashiro-san winced, "Alright, fair point."

"I think Tsuruga-san, however, has taken that into consideration," said Misaki.

She studied Yashiro-san as he stroked his chin and looked down at the notes in front of him. "How so?" he asked.

"I think he's deliberately trying to provoke her into a different reaction. In his mind, it's a war of attrition."

Yashiro-san's eyebrows flew up in surprise, "You think so?"

Misaki shrugged, "To be completely honest, at our first read-through, I caught part of an argument they were having. Kyoko-chan acted like she's acting now, and all that did was make Tsuruga-san frustrated. He got more emotional, and was more reactionary. From my observation these past few days, he's taken her reactions into account this time. And he's trying to provoke her into doing something else. And I think, he may have gotten his first win yesterday."

She tapped her notes titled _Interaction 3_ and Yashiro-san peered at it again, before looking back up at her skeptically. Misaki said nothing else though, and he eventually let out a sigh.

"Interesting theory, to be sure, Ren playing the long game. I think more observation is required. What do you say, you in?" Yashiro-san raised his eyebrows and smiled. Misaki couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the mischievous look.

"You're a terrible gossip Yashiro-san."

To her surprise, he winked at her audaciously, and said, "Birds of a feather."

She blushed, and had to look away at the knowing smirk on his face. Just then, Yashiro-san's phone rang, startling the both of them. He put on a glove, and pulled out his phone to look at it, then looked back up at her, with a pleased smirk on his face.

"Takimoto-san, as repayment for your efforts, would you like a little peek into what I do behind the scenes?"

She nodded, undeniably intrigued by the look on his face as he just smiled and answered his phone and put it on speaker, bring his forefinger to his lips to signal for her silence.

"Moshi moshi Konoe-san."

"Moshi moshi. You were right Yashiro-san." Misaki eyed the man in front of her warily as the smirk on Yashiro-san's face grew. He said nothing though, and this 'Konoe-san' kept talking.

"You knew how leery I was, especially before my discussion with Ogata-san on this matter, but Yashiro-san, you were right. I'll be damned, but you were right. But first, did Momose-san's information check out?" _Momose-san?_ thought Misaki faintly. What was going on here?!

"Absolutely it did, Konoe-san. I confirmed it myself with four different talent agency executives. Harassment claims were filed for the cast that were from those agencies and at least six different people have revised their contracts with their agencies to specifically state they would not work with anyone from the Morizumi family, under any condition."

Through the speaker, a low whistle could be heard. Misaki could only stare as Yashiro-san's smile only grew more wolfish and he spoke again.

"All of this appears to have been kept out of the news cycles. The Morizumis have influence to be sure, but LME has the power to put a stop to that. And, well, guess whose talents have now been affected?"

"My, oh my. What _have_ those people been up to?" Konoe-san laughed a little. Misaki's gaze flicked between the phone and the man in front of her, dumbfounded at the implications of their discussion. Yashiro just smiled sunnily back at her in return, and she valiantly tried to do the same, but knew the effort was weak.

"Well Konoe-san, it's your turn now. What will you do?" asked Yashiro-san.

The man on the phone laughed again, "Lay a trap, naturally."

"I do like how your mind works, Konoe-san."

"As ever Yashiro-san, Konoe Productions appreciates your patronage."

"And as ever Konoe-san, Riverbank Productions gracefully accepts. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Indeed." The call disconnected with that, and Misaki just sat there, stunned. Yashiro-san seemed willing to patiently wait her out.

Finally, she managed to croak out, "You...You're the backer Riverbank?" Misaki's voice rose as she connected the dots.

Their production team from _Spring at Mt. Oguso_ had sent out a cast and crew picture to their backers recently, thanking them for their support, and Riverbank had been on the list. Misaki knew this, because she'd been pulled with a few others, to fold the damn brochures they'd put in with the pictures. Consequently, she could now name all of _Oguso's_ backers without even straining her memory.

But Yashiro only laughed, and said, "In an effort to be completely transparent, I'm Acting CFO and COO, not the head of Riverbank."

"Who...who.." Misaki completed that thought herself, "TSURUGA-SAN?" she screeched, her voice loud and jarring. Yashiro-winced and motioned for her to keep it down. But all Misaki could do was sit there, and reframe everything she knew about Tsuruga Ren and Yashiro Yukihito in light of this revelation.

"Did you two..did you really just blacklist an entire family on behalf of Riverbank Productions?" she finally sputtered, having asked a question that she suddenly didn't know if she wanted an answer to.

Yashiro-san's face grew far more serious than she'd anticipated though, and his answer was short and direct, "Yes."

Misaki stared, "But...how? Why?"

Yashiro-san sipped at his water as he studied her. He set down his water bottle, then asked, "Do you want the long answer or the short one?"

"Either is fine, I guess," she replied feebly.

"In short, the Morizumis have been harrassing and terrorising various talents for some time. I've got evidence dating back at least three years. LME, Ren, and myself first took notice of the issues they caused on the set of Purple Down, but we were able to successfully avoid it's escalation at the time. Then it came up again when Kyoko-san gained a role with Kotonami-san on the set of _A Sacred Lotus in the Mire_ this summer; and it occured again with a recent production of Ogata-san's."

"I get the why I suppose then...but you're...you're just part of LME. This...this seems like police should be involved at this point or legal action should have been taken. How…" Misaki trailed off as Yashiro-san nodded along.

"Essentially, we needed information to act on. Even then though, I couldn't have acted on what I knew by myself, because I didn't have enough industry influence to do anything, with one exception," Yashiro paused and adjusted his glasses, then spoke again.

"Ren and I founded Riverbank Productions last winter. That was complicated to start out with, but Ren was determined to have something else he could do within this industry. So we invested well, and put out feelers to people who would accept financial backing from us for their projects. We had to become known as reliable financial backers before we were able to gain enough influence to start handling problem cases we came across, and we had come across a few by then."

Misaki could understand that. It was simply smart planning to try to do several things within the industry. Especially when your typical work was primarily that of modeling or acting, and you didn't want to have to depend on that work to keep you afloat.

"For this specific issue, we got some handy information this summer that we could work with. We got more when Momose-san and Ogata mentioned their recent problems, and now, because we helped fund Ogata-san's most recent production, and put backing behind Konoe-san for his current production, Konoe-san is now able to spring a trap."

"I don't...this is...so this is what managers do when they're not escorting their talent, eh?" It was a weak joke, but Misaki was grateful that Yashiro-san chuckled anyway.

"We at LME take threats very seriously. We're here to help our talent, and to support them. They're the lifeblood of our agency after all. We do what we must." He sent her a soft smile, and Misaki understood. She smiled back, and was happy that it felt natural. But she made sure to store in her memory, the reminder to never, ever get on LME's bad side.

…

A week and a half after the successful premiere of Tragic Marker, Konoe found himself staring at his production assistants in disappointment. Having stepped out to make the call to Yashiro-san, he had now reentered their conference room, a plan forming quickly in his brain.

"What did I tell you at the very beginning of us winning the production contract for this series?" he asked the group of them. A couple looked sheepishly down at the table, while a few others looked uneasy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to go out to the reporters out there and tell them something. What do you all propose?" Konoe asked them with a raised eyebrow.

"...Creative differences?" One piped up and Konoe pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had not believed Yashiro's suppositions to be true, but when he'd looked at the cast and crew list of this production, and had seen the name Morizumi listed a couple times, the evidence was no longer refutable. He had tested Yashiro's theory by deliberately letting it be known when he and his production company were contracted for this, that no Morizumis were to be hired. As of the meeting he'd had with his production team just now, it was apparent that the Morizumi family kept their ears low to the ground to catch every single rumor that involved them. There was no other explanation for the situation he was currently embroiled in.

"Good enough, I suppose." He muttered, after a further moment of contemplation.

The group of them stood when he jerked his head towards the entrance to the press room. Konoe kept his features neutral and pleasant as the group of them answered questions the press had. Halfway through, he coughed lightly, and scratched at his throat. He then hid a smile as a female reporter, one with a bright pink ballcap on, abruptly raised their hand and tossed out a question.

"The rumor of Morizumi Kimiko gaining the lead role for this, is that true?!"

Almost as one, the members of his production team grew tense, and fell silent.

Konoe adjusted his glasses, "That's an absolute falsity. I don't know who bandied that about, but no Morizumi will be attached to this production." The group around him relaxed a little and Konoe had to stifle a smirk from appearing on his face. Really, after all the trouble they had caused Ogata-san's recent production, the Morizumis should have expected retaliation of some sort. Ogata Hiroaki had too much support behind him in the industry, for the Morizumis to have thought otherwise.

The reporter threw out another question, "Oh, did you have creative differences perhaps?"

"This has nothing to do with anything like that. It it simply a case of no Morizumi ever being allowed to be attached to this production. That's all."

Muttering grew louder around the room, and the satisfaction Konoe felt made him struggle to keep it off his face. His trap was laid. To all intents and purposes, with no further explanation, the speculation from people in the industry, and outside of it, would explode into a frenzy. And then...then they just needed to wait.

Konoe wasn't much for plots and backroom deals, but sometimes... sometimes you made an exception.

...

 _Yamamoto Daisuke couldn't remember much before the age of eight. Intellectually, he understood that his father was killed for his refusal to join the war efforts. He understood that his mother was taken away shortly thereafter, to a place where he could not follow. He was aware that the rest of his family thusly turned their backs on him so as to avoid further repercussions. He knew this, but could barely recall anything except vague memories of tight hugs and whispered prayers. It was not for lack of trying either. It was simply that everything that came after, was burned into his memory, and that fiery wall defeated his every attempt to think further back into his past._

He remembered hopping from one orphanage to the next, until one finally took him in because they did not know of his family history. He remembered that he was always hungry. He remembered running, and hiding, and always being afraid. The sound of hundreds and hundreds of feet marching was one that always scared him, and that was something he remembered others always picked on him for. He remembered struggling to keep up with chores because he always felt tired, or too weak. But he stayed there, at that orphanage, until the day of the _pikadon_ the year he turned fourteen.

In the aftermath, it was discovered that only the orphanage caretaker and the people that were all together in the fields had survived the blast. Luckily, the caretaker had pulled him for field duty that day. He remembered that he had caught sight of cranes in flight leaving the area that day, and had thought _oh how lucky_. Even still, he wondered if he imagined that part.

But what came after was more orphanage hopping. The caretaker could not hope to carry on the duties of childcare and rebuilding the place by herself, and had searched and searched for places to house everyone. Daisuke had been one of the last to leave her. When they had come to a small town with an orphanage at the base of a mountain, his caretaker had sighed, and said, "This is it, this is our last shot Dai-chan."

She had smiled, and Daisuke had only stared back up at her, wondering how she could smile still, after everything. He had studied her, trying to figure it out, but even as he was introduced, and accepted, into the new orphanage, he wondered _,_ _Kiya-san, why do you smile?_

Daisuke was a boy of few words, and his care under one Kaede-san did not inspire him to speak often. He was an older boy, often told to work chores others couldn't because they were too little. He was told to be more friendly, but he had nothing to say in response to those suggestions, which worried people more. He heard whispers sometimes, between the workers of the orphanage, about where he came from. He didn't care much for that at all. Frequently, those whispers also included _poor boy_ and _such a strange child_ and _that boy is too quiet._

What purpose was there in being friendly? Why should he laugh? Was there a reason to smile, or was it smiling just to smile? Daisuke did not understand. He did not care if anyone else understood things how he understood them.

For all the half-remembered things, for all the vague and blurry memories of days gone by, the day the Yonedas came to the orphanage was a day he never forgot.

Naturally, everyone dressed nicely when families came around to express an interest in adoption. But even the nice clothing everyone wore paled in comparison to the clothing the Yonedas wore. He'd heard rumors of them of course. They had lost boys and men to the war, and they had a habit of picking people from the orphanage to become their workers. It was a wonderful opportunity Kaede-san had said. They gave you work, and they fed you and gave you a place to sleep. What could be better?

Privately, Daisuke thought having his parents back would be better, but he'd long since stopped saying that out loud.

Originally, he'd been part of the lineup that was just glanced over by the Yonedas and then dismissed. But when he and some of the other boys decided to go outside to play tag, (the one activity Daisuke liked because he liked to chase), the Yonedas had watched.

Yoneda Yaeko-sama pulled him away after and looked him over with sharp eyes. It reminded Daisuke of a hawk. Eventually, she spoke.

"You're fast."

"Yes Yoneda-sama."

"Do you like being with everyone here?"

Daisuke could only return her gaze steadily, without looking away. He had nothing to say on the matter. She had looked over the rest of the boys, before turning to him again.

"Have you ever thought of what you would do, as an adult?"

"No Yoneda-sama."

A pause then.

"You're an honest boy."

"Why be anything else?"

A smile had flitted over her face for a millisecond, and Daisuke had tracked it with quick eyes, wondering once more why people smiled.

"Would you like to come with me Yamamoto-kun?"

Daisuke tilted his head in thought, "Will you let me run?"

"As much as you like."

"Then yes Yoneda-sama, I'd like that." Daisuke was satisfied. Kaede-san always yelled when he ran, unless they were playing tag.

Later, he would understand that he reminded Yaeko-sama of her only son. Later, he would realize that Michitada-sensei disapproved heavily. Later, he would ask himself if he should have said no. But that day, he could only be relieved that they took him home. He thought this even as they introduced him to their daughters, and their other workers. Anything was better than being stuck in a place you didn't want to be.

Unbeknownst to the Yonedas, that day Daisuke talked far more in one day than he ever remembered doing before. And after dinner, Yayoi, their daughter that was his age, showed him around their garden and explained how everything worked in the world that the Yonedas inhabited. Daisuke was fascinated.

He was fascinated by how much land the Yonedas had, how big their place was, how much they seemed to care for one another, and how happy they seemed to be, even though they had so many things they had to take care of. They had to take care of their gardens, their teahouse, their inn, as well as their own residence. It was mind-boggling to Daisuke. He was fascinated, nonetheless.

And he was fascinated by the smile of Yoneda Yayoi.

He did not question why she smiled, as it was evident why she did. He only thought to himself _if I could look upon it, every single day, would I start to smile too?_

 _\- Yamamoto Daisuke's Beginnings, from supplementary material provided to Atsushi Isami_

…

Atsushi Isami sat back in his chair, and heaved out a sigh. They were a week into shooting for episode five, and reviewing the material he'd been given had been something he thought was simply a smart thing to do, but he wasn't so sure now. What with the pace they'd been going at, he'd forgotten how much Daisuke's background affected him. Back when he'd been given the part, he had shared the material with his wife, as the story was too compelling not to, and when Hana had turned to him, tears in her eyes, he'd been alarmed. But she'd only brushed off his concern and said,

"Do your best Isami-san, do your best. This story deserves nothing less." Isami had bumped his forehead to hers, patted her round belly, and sighed.

"Of course, I promise. I can't wait to show this to you two," he had said, and his wife's hands had covered his.

"We'll be waiting to see it." she'd whispered back and Isami's heart had felt full and whole in that one, shining moment.

Isami sighed again, and rubbed at his eyes. Episode five was mostly from his perspective, so that meant his time was almost up. Kawaguchi-san and a couple others had already left, to go back to Tokyo, as they were no longer needed for on-location shooting, and Isami was to join them shortly. Isami thought of this frequently. Not just because Yamamoto Daisuke was a surprisingly difficult role to leave, but because his wife was pushing the eight month mark, and he was eager to return so he was there when his child was born.

Isami's gaze flicked back down to his supplementary material and he caught sight of the last lines of his narration script, _There are always beginnings and there will always be endings. But that bit there in the middle, that's what matters._

"That's what matters." He repeated to himself aloud. His time to leave this series was swiftly approaching, but what was waiting for him was something unbelievably amazing.

He shook himself free of his wandering thoughts as Kotonami-san and Kyoko-san stepped out of the wardrobe department, discussing something in quiet tones. He'd been waiting for them so they could all meet up for dinner. Kyoko-san had offered earlier, and he wasn't one to turn down an invitation from a kind coworker. Kyoko-san had been a good friend through his many fretful fits of _what can I do to help my wife right now?_ and etcetera.

In the beginning, she'd often come to him for advice over how to portray Yayoi's feelings for Daisuke and had offered many times to return the favor. She was always so sweet and discreet about it, that Isami had finally broken down and asked for advice when his wife had had a fit over her pants not fitting a couple weeks ago (one of many she'd had cursing women's fashions).

When Kyoko's advice had proven invaluable, he had shared both his own gratitude, and Hana's. This had apparently made Kyoko and Hana strike up their own friendship over fashion and sweets. Hana had told Isami that she quite liked this batch of coworkers Isami currently had, and Isami couldn't help but agree.

Isami spoke once they'd gotten near enough, "Good work today you two."

"Good work today Atsushi-san," said Kyoko brightly, "How's Hana-chan?"

Isami smiled, "She's well. Thank you for asking. Shall we?" He gestured down the hall for them to go ahead so they could go eat. The three of them chatted lightly over the work they'd completed that day, before Kyoko paused halfway to the dining hall. Kyoko hesitated, then exchanged a glance with Kotonami-san, which struck Isami as a little strange.

Before he could ask what was up, Kyoko said, "Actually, I received a curious message recently, so can we make a pitstop to see Kinji-san at security Atsushi-san?"

"Of course, everything alright?"

"This is mostly precautionary, no worries Atsushi-san," she said. He nodded and they headed in that direction. Isami didn't entirely trust the 'mostly precautionary' part of that statement, and couldn't deny he was curious. He lingered on the periphery to be polite, as Kotonami-san and Kyoko-san addressed Kinji-san. He didn't catch much of what was said. But what he did, stoked his curiosity further.

"...appreciate this. Kotonami-san and I will also inform Yashiro-san. Koenji-san was adamant that…"

Kyoko-san's voice got quieter then and Isami cocked his head, trying to hear more, "...Hiou-kun was quite helpful there actually, so Yashiro-san has begun to think…"

Her voiced dropped in volume again, so he had little luck trying to figure out the rest. Whatever they spoke of though, Isami definitely didn't understand the minutiae of it.

Ah well, as his kaa-san had always said, eavesdropping was rude. Regardless, they didn't take up much more time with Kinji-san, and Isami was quietly relieved. His work that day had left him hungry, and he was eager to get to dinner.

…

The Saturday that dawned bright and sunny after a week of shooting for Act Five, made the scowl on Kyoko's face all the more apparent. Kanae sighed as she watched Kyoko stab at some of her egg as they ate breakfast.

"Kyoko, you've been like this all week. Aren't you tired of this act yet?"

Kyoko swung a gaze her way, but said nothing. Kanae frowned.

"Look, I know that I said I didn't care how you behaved so long as we both maintained our professionalism while with everyone else, but aren't you tired?"

"Tired of what?"

Kanae set down her own chopsticks, and rubbed at her forehead, "Kyoko, is it that he keeps making smart remarks, or is it that you truly just feel like being this stubborn? What's motivating this?"

Kyoko frowned at her, "You're curious now? After all those times that you said you didn't care?"

"We've spent nearly every hour of every day together this past week. Of course I would be curious by now. Anyone would be!" Kanae hoped that didn't sound too defensive. But even her own siblings didn't keep acting petty and upset for a week straight. (Kanae held the record for petty grudges in her family. She'd once gone a whole five days not speaking to her oldest sister because she'd used the last of Kanae's best shampoo.)

"I'm not going to get in between this, as you guys need to figure it out, but even I've realized that Tsuruga-san took to heart what happened last week and his performance is now better than ever."

"Good for him," Kyoko muttered, using her chopsticks to viciously stab at her egg.

Kanae sighed again, "What is it going to take for this to get cleared up? Honestly, at this point, I would just like to know what to look for."

"For starters, he could stop being so damned appealing. Did you know that yesterday, he rescued Rieko-chan's kitten from a tree?!" Kyoko muttered some more about this and Kanae stared in disbelief. Their orphanage set they were borrowing allowed pets, and Rieko-chan had thought it'd be fun if her character, a orphan girl named Shion-chan, got to play with cats, and it had been allowed. The scene in question had been sickeningly adorable.

"What was he even doing near that set?"

"Plotting new ways to irritate me, I'm sure. Guess what Tsuruga-san, it freaking worked!" Kyoko scowled down at her breakfast, and Kanae had to smother a smile. Clearly, Kyoko was being contrary just to be contrary when it came to Tsuruga-san at this point. Kanae stifled another sigh and checked her watch.

"Hey, wardrobe needs us in a half hour," she said to Kyoko. They hurried through the rest of their breakfast, Kyoko's mood brightening as she realized she'd get to try on yet a new outfit. Act Five had Yayoi reconnecting with both her sister and mother, and so all three individuals had outfits that more visually appealed to that theme of reconnecting in the Yoneda family. Kanae was there just for another fitting for a festival kimono for Act Six.

"Morning Nagahama-san!" said Kyoko cheerfully as they entered the wardrobe room a little while later.

Nagahama-san poked her head out from the Yoneda closet of outfits, "Morning you two! Let's work well together today."

Kanae and Kyoko returned the sentiment, and once Kanae's work with her was finished, Kanae settled in to review her script as Nagahama-san bustled about Kyoko. Kanae's ears perked up a little while later, when Nagahama-san asked Kyoko a softly spoken question as she pinned a hem on the kimono.

"And your plan Kyoko-chan? Is it working on that silly coworker of yours?"

Kanae's eyes narrowed as she noticed Nagahama-san trying to hide a smile.

"Well, maybe. He has yet to stop approaching me about all sorts of inane things and I keep brushing him off. I thought he would have gotten more upset by now though."

"Hmmmm, a tricky customer, eh? He's not let on his true feelings yet?"

"No," Kyoko muttered sulkily. Kanae's eyebrows raised. Apparently, she'd not taken the right tack on how to approach Kyoko about this. Kanae filed that note away for later use.

"Well you're all done with adjustments dear. I do hope things go your way soon," Nagahama-san said, patting Kyoko sympathetically on the shoulder. Kyoko looked a little unhappy again though, and Kanae saw concern cross the seamstress' face, before it brightened again.

"By the way Kyoko-chan, guess what came in!"

Kyoko seemed appropriately diverted by this, "What?"

"Your outfit for the Act Six scene in the dance hall!"

Kanae's interest was piqued by that, and she stowed her script in her bag and stood, "You didn't make it Nagahama-san?"

"Nope, I had a colleague of mine take care of it instead. It was a bit out of the realm of what I could finish under my deadline I've been given." Nagahama-san explained as she rifled through the outfit closet while Kyoko and Kanae exchanged curious looks.

When she pulled out the dress though, packed safely away in a transparent dress bag, Kanae gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Kyoko! That design is _vintage Dior!_ " She looked at Kyoko in disbelief, and Kyoko looked uncomprehendingly back at her.

"Yay?" Kyoko ventured. Kanae shook her shoulder a little, and repeated herself, her voice rising.

" _Vintage DIOR KYOKO!"_

Nagahama-san laughed, "Ah, you got me Kotonami-san. It's a little idea I had. Yoneda Yayoi after all, would have had the fashion sense to have bought Dior, yes?"

Kanae couldn't help but agree. Of course the Yoneda family would have put their heiress in the best Western fashion they could for a military event. Nagahama-san looked between them, amused by their reactions, and spoke again.

"Would you like to try it on Kyoko-chan?"

"Yes, she would!" Kanae said. Kyoko nervously inched away, but then couldn't fully escape as Kanae helped her out of her kimono with such swiftness that Kyoko got a little embarrassed.

"Moko-san!" she hissed but Kanae paid it no mind.

Nagahama-san had made the perfect choice Kanae marveled, once Kyoko had put on the dress and the matching heels. Kanae looked Kyoko over, admiring how easily Kyoko pulled off such an elegantly fashionable style.

"I'm glad my color choice worked so well. I thought red might be too bold, but no, it sets off your eyes perfectly Kyoko-chan. And the pleats don't make the skirt too full, I was worried about that since you have such a slim figure.," said Nagahama-san.

"And the neckline," Kanae murmured, "Off the shoulder just works so well for you! The delicate collar bone being highlighted, and putting more emphasis on the lines of your neck, especially with that cute little bow there. Gosh, this is fantastic. Nagahama-san, what jewelry would go with this?"

Nagahama-san chuckled, "You'll have to ask Konou-san, I've not decided yet but maybe she has."

Kyoko was blushing to high heaven at all the praise, "Can I change now? I'm a little uncomfortable," she mumbled. Nagahama-san sighed, but patted her head sympathetically.

"You may Kyoko-chan. Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly."

Nagahama-san and Kanae busied themselves with putting away the dress and other things while Kyoko changed back into her skirt, sweater, and boots. Kanae murmured softly to Nagahama-san while Kyoko was distracted.

"Do you know the name of the coworker she's been telling you about?"

"Of course I do. He and Nick-san have loose lips around Konou-san."

Kanae discovered a new appreciation of Nagahama-san's cunning just then. Kanae couldn't help her curiosity though.

"How long do you give it?"

Nagahama-san smiled, "It's easy to be distracted from problems while you're working. Not so when you have an entire day free."

Kanae thought about that for a second, then said, "Wait, tomorrow? You think something will happen then?"

Nagahama-san raised an eyebrow at her as she tucked away the heels that went with the dress, "Did you not hear? Takimoto-san arranged for a park outing for some of the cast for tomorrow afternoon. One of the last days where the temperatures aren't too low, and she said it would be good for people to get out, and destress."

"Takimoto-san did?" Kanae asked, confused. This sounded like a Yashiro Yukihito machination. But all Nagahama-san did was nod, before she turned back to Kyoko-chan. Kanae stopped herself from asking the seamstress her other questions, but if Nagahama-san was right, perhaps all her concerns would be taken care of by tomorrow. _That'd be nice, for things to take care of themselves for once,_ Kanae thought.

She brushed those thoughts away though, when Kyoko collected her so they could go meet up with Oohara-san and Sugaya-san for rehearsal. She had other things she needed to concern herself with, and it was far past time for Kyoko to just handle it herself.

…

When Kyoko-chan and Kotonami-san finally joined the others in the lobby to complete their little group for their park outing Sunday afternoon, Misaki had to smother a surprised sound. She'd been notating what kind of outfits Tsuruga-san tended to remark upon, and it appeared Kyoko-chan had as well. She was once more in a tight, sleeveless sweater dress, with knee-high boots, but had paired it with knitted pink tights, some jewelry, and a pink knitted beret. Kyoko-chan, somehow, had been able to pull together an outfit that was undeniably provocative, while styling it so as to look entirely innocent about how it might come across.

 _Point to Kyoko-chan_ , thought Misaki in admiration. She was close enough to Nick-san and Tsuruga-san as they all left to hike to the park they were going to, that she caught Nick-san's whispers about it.

"Ren, come on man, that outfit can't be by accident, right? Not after the week we've had."

"Keep it down. So she's trying to provoke me into saying something stupid, whatever. I've got this." muttered Tsuruga-san back.

"Mmmm...do you though?" replied Nick-san, and Misaki stifled a snicker when she caught the dirty look Tsuruga-san shot him.

The park outing had been a joint effort between her and Yashiro-san, and so far, Misaki was pleased with the reaction. She'd been in charge of gathering people together, and she'd been able to grab those two, Kyoko-chan, Kotonami-san, Noa-kun, Jin-san, and Oohara-san. Yashiro-san had been in charge of making sure it was ok that they visited the park near their orphanage set. They used the park on occasion during shooting, so the rule was that they couldn't do anything while there that would leave evidence behind. Misaki had been confused by that rule, except Noa-kun had sighed when he'd heard it, and said something about being depressed at having to leave his paintball gun behind. She'd understood then.

She strolled behind a majority of the group, falling in with Noa and Jin, and kept her eyes and ears open for anything entertaining that might happen. As they arrived, and Kyoko-chan, Oohara-san, and Kotonami-san decided to go for the swings, and the guys headed for the elaborate jungle gym, Misaki found herself stumped. Which group should she go with? She wanted to observe, but she had to be careful to not get caught too.

 _Yashiro-san_ she thought to herself mournfully, _I did not plan for this_.

…

After having won a speed challenge set to him by Nick about how fast he could traverse the jungle gym, Ren was now watching Noa and Jin compete to do the same. And he was doing his damnedest to not look at Kyoko.

All week he'd made sure his ironclad control had been in place, and had, on a few occasions, even won the battle of the wits he and Kyoko had been undergoing. To be fair, she knew exactly all the right buttons to push when she was trying to bother him. But Ren, aside from some smart remarks, had done his best to not let it get to him.

Then she'd stepped into the lobby right before they'd all set off for their excursion, and he'd nearly crushed the can of ice-cold tea he'd been drinking at the time. Nick had not let that go the entire walk over to the park. But Ren had planned for that. Once he'd noticed that Kyoko had been trying to provoke him all week with how she was dressing, he'd realized that she was exceptionally good at doing so. _She learned far more than I ever thought she would when she played Setsu Heel,_ he thought to himself.

And she'd only gotten more knowledgeable about fashion since that time. But Ren, to account for that, had decided to do the same. He'd long since realized that she looked him over the most frequently when he wore button-up shirts, and she always looked twice when he wore button-ups with the sleeves rolled up. And he'd made sure to wear the cologne that she'd said she liked the best the night of the Tragic Marker premiere.

He wondered vaguely what it said about him that he'd planned out his appearance to such detail. He knew Yashiro, his parents, and Lory would _definitely_ pick on him if they ever found out. Probably even Maria-chan would. He sighed, depressed for a second.

He was quickly distracted though, as the competition that Nick set up next was pullups from the middle of the jungle gym set up.

"Nick," said Ren, his voice heavy with amusement, "I would need to bend my knees nearly to my chest to even begin to try to do a pull up there. There's trees we could use, for chrissakes."

"Oh, yeeaaah. That makes sense. To the trees!" Nick declared and Ren wanted to facepalm as he heard a couple of the girls near the swings laugh. However, he determinedly did not look in that direction and simply followed Nick. Nick had honestly been such a good friend that week. He'd been helpful, understanding, and hadn't judged. Ren appreciated that more than he thought Nick would ever know.

When they got bored climbing all over the trees, they turned their attention back to the jungle gym, but the girls had taken over. Ren had to stop, blink, and then bite his tongue to stop himself from saying anything. Kyoko was hanging upside down from the middle of it, and the only saving grace was that her dress was too tight to fall down.

Nick was near enough to him to snicker and say, "Another accident do you suppose?"

Ren shoved him a little, and hurried that way so he could get Kyoko's attention.

He saw Kotonami-san and Takimoto-san begin to watch him carefully as he came nearer to them, and he had to bite his tongue again on the first thing he wanted to say.

"Let me guess, you guys wanted to do a pull-up competition too?" He said, making sure his tone of voice was lighthearted and teasing. He was gratified that it came out sounding smooth and natural. Oohara-san laughed a little.

"Kyoko-chan saw Jin-san doing this and she just had to try it." Oohara-san said.

"Ah, that good old competitive spirit. It burns bright in Kyoko-chan here." said Ren, not able to stop the words from coming out. He hid a wince when she shot him a glare. He wanted to say something else, but then the rest of the guys caught up and Nick spoke first.

"Hey, hey, how about we try the merry-go-round?"

Kotonami-san groaned, "I am _not_ about to get into a spinning metal death trap."

"Well you're no fun," pouted Nick, while a couple of the others laughed.

The others debated this back and forth, and Ren used the opportunity to finagle his way closer to the middle of the jungle gym where Kyoko was.

"All the blood gone to your head yet?" he asked her quietly. When she just said nothing, he couldn't help but tease her more.

"Oh, let me guess, you're stuck. Us guys came over, and now you're scared about how you're going to get down in a properly demure and ladylike fashion."

She shot him a glare, "I'm not scared of you."

Ren's eyebrows flew up in surprise, "Mogami-san, I never said anything about me. What a telling response."

She flushed as she saw his lips curl into a smirk.

"Perhaps you should live up to your _gentlemanly_ reputation and help," she muttered through gritted teeth, as she adjusted her grip on the bars.

"As my princess commands," he replied, making a sweepingly grand gesture for theatrical effect. Ren stepped carefully through the bars so he could step close enough to her that she could use him as a barrier for her to pull her legs through without anyone else seeing it happen.

They carefully stepped back out, and walked over to the rest to see the result of the merry-go-round debate, only to find that Kotonami-san and Jin-san were adamantly against it, no matter how Nick pleaded. Nick sulked for a little while, but Oohara-san and Noa said they were daring enough to take a turn on it so long as Nick did too.

With that squared away, Ren turned to try to see if he could tease Kyoko more, only to find that she'd retreated back to the swings with Kotonami-san and Takimoto-san. That left Jin and him to their own devices, so Ren clambered back on top of the jungle gym again. He sat there and pondered his situation, like the crafty strategist he wanted to pretend he was, until the rest decided they'd had enough fun playing and wanted to start heading back.

He swung himself off the jungle gym and made sure he installed himself next to Kyoko for the walk back. He felt immeasurably grateful when she wound up getting distracted by the flower patch at the entrance to the park and started taking pictures of it to send to Maria-chan, as he was able to wave at their group to go on ahead. He'd take whatever opportunity that came his way to try to talk to her with some privacy.

When Kyoko finally looked up from taking her picture, she noticed the distance, and frowned.

"Tsuruga-san, they're getting too far ahead. Let's not make them worry by trailing too far behind." She hurriedly put away her phone in her purse and started to walk away quickly.

"So considerate of you," Ren called after her, not moving.

"Obviously I want to be considerate of my coworkers," she snapped back waspishly as she stopped, and turned to glare at him. There was a long moment of silence as they just stared each other down, before she spoke again, "Well then Tsuruga-san, we should-"

"Quit calling me that." The words that popped out of his mouth surprised even him. Perhaps he'd not had such ironclad control after all.

"Excuse me?" her eyebrows raised in disbelief and there was another moment where they said nothing at all.

Kyoko frowned, "Look Tsuru-

"Stop calling me that."

A ferocious scowl overcame her features, before she visibly swallowed back words, and instead said, "We should get going, we should be polite enough to keep up with the people that invited us out today and not dally."

Ren still didn't move.

She repeated herself, "We shouldn't linger, they're getting too far-"

"Scared?" He interrupted her. "Is there something you're trying to avoid by rushing off like that?"

He watched her carefully as she licked her lips and looked away. Ren felt himself smirk when he caught the look she darted his way when he took a step forward, before she looked away again.

She hurried to speak up, "That's ridiculous, I'm simply being considerate."

"Oh, you're such a liar." Ren couldn't help it, every single one of her tics were telling him that he was right, but she was insisting on keeping up the facade. Kyoko's face was bright red, and it seemed she was about to protest his words when he interrupted her again.

"Did you know, you look at me out of the corner of your eye, whenever you try to lie to me? It's like you're just dying to see how I'll react. You know I know you're lying, and you do it anyway. Tsk, tsk Mogami-san."

He stepped closer, and she stepped back, her face paling at the look he gave her.

"Do you know what's been the most entertaining thing to watch you do this week?" He asked. She seemed startled that he actually waited for her response, and so she slowly shook her head, her features growing ever more uneasy by the second.

"Watching you watch me, just to see if you've successfully provoked me. Did you have fun Mogami-san?" He stepped closer again, ever so slowly shepherding her towards a tree.

He was glad he did so, when she tried to dart away, and he was able to bar her from leaving by planting a hand on the trunk of the tree and leaning in. She shrank back, trying to keep distance between them, and only hit the trunk. When the realization dawned on her face, he smiled.

"Oh go on Mogami-san. No one else is here, you don't have to lie. Go on, tell me, did you have fun?"

Finally, as she realized she wasn't going to be able to escape easily, she glowered at him. "That's a ridiculous accusation. I was simply being professional. Perhaps you would know that, if you bothered to do the same."

Surprisingly, this just struck him as incredibly funny.

"Mogami-san, you should know, you shouldn't have declared war if you weren't going to be able to surrender gracefully," he goaded her, and was thrilled to see anger blaze in her eyes.

"Why aren't you reacting the way I want?!" She finally snapped, her chest heaving with all the emotion she'd released with such bold question.

Ren couldn't help it, he laughed. She hit him then, her balled up fist thumping against his chest. "Stop laughing at me! You've been playing me just like I tried to play you! Why didn't you just let me get away with it?!"

He grabbed her fist with his other hand, "Ah, Mogami-san, I'm truly sorry for being so pushy. I was just wanting to see how far you would go. I can't help it you see. You're reactions are all so interesting." He slowly let her fist go when it seemed like she wouldn't hit him again. He tucked a bit of hair back under her beret and smiled down at her.

"Forgive me? I just couldn't help it you know. I just popped off with whatever came to mind, and no matter what it was, or how overbearing it sounded, you just kept brushing it off like it was nothing. And then you deliberately began to provoke me. And you were so damned attractive while you did it. I'm sorry for how I behaved, truly, but the more I get to know you Mogami Kyoko, the more attractive you become." he cupped her face in his hands and brushed their noses together. He was surprised that she let him. Unbeknownst to him, Kyoko couldn't help but let him.

His last words were whispered right near her ear, and there was no way for her to stop the full body shudder from running through her when she smelled the sandalwood and spice of his shaving soap.

"Unfair," she said.

"So is that goddamn dress you're wearing."

She hadn't even realized her eyelids had fallen shut until they popped back open, surprised and excited by the raspiness in his voice when he snapped back at her. They stared each other down for a moment, before he shifted away, clearing his throat. Kyoko surprised both of them when, instead of letting him step away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her lips on his. Ren in this kind of mood was too exciting for her to be dishonest about how much she liked it. It was all true after all.

She'd been provoking him all week. It had worked so much better than she'd ever expected. When Ren returned her kiss, she all but she melted into his embrace. This was what she had wanted from the time they'd left that damn teahouse set last Friday. She'd wanted to bury her fingers into his hair just like this. She'd wanted his hands on her, honestly, wherever she could get away with having them. She'd wanted his lips trailing from her mouth, to her cheek, to her neck, and then back, ever since. She'd wanted, and wanted, and in her frustration, she'd made sure to shove it in his face how much he wanted her back.

Kyoko was not proud of it. It was not even inaccurate to say that she was appalled by her own behavior even. But, somehow, all her pride and propriety evaporated when he held her so tight she felt weightless. When he kissed her so hard her lips felt like they were on fire, and when his hands buried himself in her hair and pulled, all of the rest of it simply disappeared.

"Maddening, infuriating woman," he muttered these words, several times, between hard kisses to her mouth, and little soft bites on her neck.

"So help me, put your hand back on my hip, or my boot heel is going to go someplace unpleasant," she threatened. Ren froze for a second, and untangled a hand from her hair.

"Bossy," he said, breathless almost, as his fingers returned to digging into her hip. Kyoko caught the delight in his voice as he said it though.

"You love it," she said, almost lightheaded with how brazen she was being.

"God do I." he muttered into her collarbone.

When they eventually did make it back, their hands stayed tangled together even as they entered into the lobby, and Kyoko was smiling.

…

With a week and a half down in shooting Act Five, one Atsushi Isami was preparing for his final scene. It was a whopper of a long scene too. Director Shingai employed such tactics a couple times a week. There always seemed to be a scene that they shot, and in the process of shooting it, the director coordinated everything so that the shooting time ran from a minute and a half to upwards of a five minute long scene. On Isami's previous productions, directors didn't tend to like running the camera for longer than two minutes before they called cut and readjusted something. This quirk of Shingai's had intrigued Isami in the beginning. Now, he'd simply gotten used to readjusting his expectations.

The scene that preceded this one, chronologically speaking, was a battle scene where Yoneda Daisuke got caught in the crossfire of the opposing sides. Daisuke, being used to being part of a security detail with Interpreter Tanaka, had instinctively pushed him out of the way, when they'd not been quick enough to escape the deck that'd been under fire. So, instead of Tanaka-san facing a potentially mortal wound, Daisuke had taken it instead.

Daisuke was then hurried to the on-ship medical bay, accompanied by Tanaka-san. Isami had actually been really impressed with Miura-san's emotional expressiveness during that scene as he'd delivered his lines, as it had genuinely made him tear up. That's how that scene ended. The story then came back around to Daisuke after the battle, when Jack, after he'd checked on all of his other wounded men, visited him during his tour of the medical bay.

This scene in particular, was after Jack had been informed that he was _hibakusha_ \- a survivor of the A-bomb. His orphanage he'd been in until he was fourteen, had been located in Hiroshima. It didn't matter that Daisuke had been mortally wounded, he'd not had much longer to live anyways.

Daisuke, due to the severity of his wound, was isolated from the others, so the encounter was just the two of them in a room. The director tended to shoot those types of scenes from multiple cameras, and let them run for as long as it took to get the scene done. And if that lasted for longer than the typical time, Director Shingai let it. As the director said, it could always be edited again later.

The prep that Isami was doing, was that of being arranged on a med bay cot, to look appropriately fatally wounded, and in pain. Once finished with that, and with the final touches of bruise make-up, the assistants stepped away. And he laid there, and listened for Shingai to call for silence on the set, and then call for action.

…

Jack stepped into the room, a deep furrow in his brow as he studied the form on the bed. His entrance was loud enough that Daisuke cracked his eyes open. The expression on the Commander's face was startling enough for Daisuke to chuckle a bit.

"Evening Commander-san."

"Evening," came the curt response.

"You look like you have something on your mind."

"I do."

"Care to share?"

"Sure, why not. While I respect what you did, will always respect what you did, I cannot agree with the reasoning for why you did it. I heard you, you know. You told Tanaka-san that you were happy that it was you, and not him. You said that it was better that it was you. Tanaka-san had a wife and an unborn child waiting, and that you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if he left them. How admirable it is, for you to be so self-sacrificing _Yoneda-san_." Jack's voice raised on the last bit and he thumped his fist down on a table for emphasis.

"Clearly, that is an insincere compliment," Daisuke said, his voice raspy and tinged with pain as he shifted on the cot.

"You are dying! You are dying, and you are leaving behind Yoneda Yayoi! How can you be so infuriatingly selfish, and then say that to Tanaka-san?! How dare you?!"

"I would advise you to quit judging me based on the standards you grew up with. They are not mine. It is insulting and do you really wish to insult a dying man further, Commander-san?"

Jack's jaw worked as he glared at the man laying in the med bay bed. Daisuke simply smiled up at him, exhausted though the expression was. Daisuke went to talk again, but was interrupted by a minor coughing fit. Jack eyed him warily as Daisuke wiped the blood from his lips, and the sweat from his brow.

After another moment, Daisuke attempted to talk again. He wheezed slightly, and small fits of shivers intermittently wracked his frame.

"I invite you to contemplate, if you will Commander-san," Daisuke's eyes locked with Jack's as he spoke. "I invite you to contemplate the kindness of a friend towards a dying man."

Jack stared, thoughts flying by in his brain too quick for him to catch, except the one. _Kindness of a friend?_ Dread and regret suddenly seeped through the rest of his thoughts and Jack looked over at Daisuke, horror overtaking his features.

"The leukemia? Yoneda-sama knows?! How long has she known!?"

"Since my coma, when her father saved me in May."

Jack paled in realization, "That long?" he asked.

Yayoi had known for that long? Images flooded his mind of Yayoi and Daisuke at the orphanage, at the communal city events, at the inn with the instructional classes even. At every point, the truth had never even been indicated. Jack's horror grew. _The things that I said. How I behaved. And still she simply asked for help._

Jack turned away from Daisuke, a hand covering his mouth, and he stifled his tears hastily, as best as he could.

Daisuke's voice floated over to him anyway, inescapable.

"So now you understand, Commander-san. I thought it might pain you to learn of this. That time when the kids went into the city, for the swimming lessons, I began to suspect. She asked you to help that girl-"

"Shion-chan," Jack said, his voice hoarse with the effort it took to keep it controlled.

"Yes, Shion-chan. The look on your face when Yayoi-san said thank you to you after you helped that girl, it was plain as day. You're in love with my wife."

Jack froze. What he'd not yet even admitted to himself stated aloud so bluntly made him want to shrink in on himself in shame. He didn't dare turn around.

Daisuke spoke again, "I suppose you despise me anyway, even knowing the truth now. I don't care though. I had nothing I wanted until I met her. I wanted out of the orphanage, and I thought at first I could just be happy with having work. But Yayoi-san was there. And I could never not want her. Her bright smiles, her intelligence, her beauty, her passion. It draws you in, until you no longer even want to run from it. I wanted, and I wanted, and I wanted.

"And, eventually, my wants were realized."

Even after every revelation, this statement angered Jack enough for him to whirl around and snap back.

"And you never cared for what she wanted, did you?! She wanted to teach! She wanted to mold bright young students into thinking, intelligent, capable adults. But you never cared for what she wanted, did you?!"

Daisuke simply raised an eyebrow, "She was always going to be proprietress after her mother. Those _wants_ of hers she had already set aside when I gained her hand in marriage. We agreed that I would be able to help her with that, and be a good partner to her."

"We _agreed._ Oh how logical. How astute. I know you love her. I know you do. How dare you dismiss such a vital commitment for such cold reasoning."

Daisuke laughed, before it turned into a hacking cough, Once it was over, he began again, "I never expected her to return my feelings. We were however, friends. What better way to start a partnership?"

"How about with trust? How about with mutual wants and needs being satisfied? How about with a _yes, I do_ , instead of a, _yes mother, I will do as you tell me_?!"

The amusement disappeared as quick as it had come on Daisuke's face as Jack snarled that.

"My efforts bore me fruit Commander-san. While I'll always regret that Yayoi wound up realizing the truth of me, I do not regret what we shared. She made me the happiest I ever was. If I was only ever but a good friend, then I am satisfied."

Jack was breathing heavy, fingers curling and unfurling as battled with himself to regain his composure.

"You _regret_ but you're still satisfied. What a piece of work you are." Jack muttered finally.

Daisuke's had eyes closed, his talking had taken a lot out of him, but he huffed out a small laugh anyway. "Don't worry Commander-san. I'll be dead soon. I imagine you believe I'm getting what I deserve."

Jacks anger dissipated entirely with that remark and he hesitated. When he was silent for a moment, Daisuke simply sighed and said,

"Speak your mind. Who will there be left to judge what you say once I am gone?"

Jack stiffened, "Fine. But, I don't think that at all. You might be selfish, sure, but what I'm most upset about is that you don't even regret the pain you have caused her, and what pain your death will bring. You two are, by all reckoning, Mt. Oguso's fairytale. And this is what you decided would be a fitting end. Did she even try to stop you?"

Daisuke's eyes had drifted back open as Jack had talked and he studied the commander. "No, she didn't. There would be little to no help for me anyway. And she knew that whether I had another year to go, or ten, that I would rather die doing what is right, than die in pain having done nothing at all. She can respect that. And, in her own fashion, I think she might have been grateful. But then again, I don't claim to know her thoughts and feelings. I'm not entitled to those."

Daisuke's face had closed off by the time he finished speaking. His hands trembled, and the lines on his face spelled out only pain. No relief from the painkillers, not yet. Jack felt pity for a fleeting moment, before he was distracted from it by Daisuke struggling to get a piece of paper out of his pocket. Jack stepped closer, fishing it out and tried to hand it to him. Daisuke just stopped him, his hand reaching out to keep the paper with Jack.

"Just give that to her for me please. That's all I ask."

Jack nodded and stepped back, tucking the paper into his fist, "I'll see it done."

Jack was almost to the med bay doors when Daisuke spoke once more, his voice weaker now, as he slipped further into the twilight state between wakefulness and sleep, "Commander-san. Do you suppose, wherever we go after, we meet with our parents again? Our families?"

Jack swallowed hard, a sharp pain shooting through him as he recognized the long-held pain and wistfulness in the other man's voice. He turned back to the bed, but Daisuke had slipped too far into sleep by then. Jack replied anyway.

"God, but I pray that's true."

Once Jack had left the med bay, he could no longer stifle the urge to look at the note. The writing of the kanji was shaky, and it was difficult for Jack to decipher most of it at a glance. But the ending sentence he knew, he'd read it before. It was in an old book the Yonedas had in their library. Michitada had lent it to him once upon a time.

 _Ya-chan_ , the note read, _if you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets._

Jack was immediately ashamed he had read such a personal thing. No matter his own feelings, what Daisuke and Yayoi had, it was something precious. It was something he may never understand, but it was not something he was supposed to pass judgement on.

And he stood there, and he stared at those words, and Jack knew that what he felt was truly regret.

…

The set was quiet when Ren stepped off, before the sound of thunderous applause set him back on his heels. He looked up, startled, and saw crew members scurrying by him to grab at Atsushi-san to congratulate him on his work. Atsushi-san, who was at first startled the same as he was, now seemed both baffled and highly entertained. Miura-san even grabbed him in a tight hug and appeared to blubbering into his shoulder about it.

Ren smiled, He truly believed that it was some of Atsushi-san's strongest work. He deserved every bit of praise he got. He stepped next to Director Shingai, and looked down at where he was reviewing footage.

"Well?" Ren asked.

Shingai looked back up at him, looking thrilled, "We're good. This scene is good. That was fantastic!"

Ren waited while everyone got their congratulations out of the way, before he got Atsushi-san's attention. Ren bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you very much for working with me."

Atsushi-san, by that time, looked embarrassed, "The same to you Tsuruga-san. It was tough, but we managed. Drinks on me later?"

Ren laughed at the offer, "Sure Atsushi-san. I'd love to."

Atsushi-san looked pleased, "Oh, but first, before I do anything else, I need my phone."

One of the lingering crew members tossed it over, and Atsushi-san deftly snatched it out of the air, then bellowed, "Anyone who wants to be in the picture I send to my wife, gather round."

Ren was pushed in as the crowd tightened and gathered around. Atsushi-san angled it to catch most of them and snapped the shot.

After they all sorted themselves back out, Ren was curious enough to approach Atsushi-san to ask what the message was going to be. Atsushi smiled as he typed it out.

"Her due date is three weeks away. But even so, she's been worried about me doing this scene for ages. My grandad was _hibakusha_ , and died before treatments became available to people at large. She knows what this role meant to me. I suppose, I guess, I just had to let her know how much her support helped me through this, you know?"

Ren did his best to nod along with what Atsushi-san was saying, but he was stunned by the smile on Atsushi-san's face as he talked about what it meant to him.

"So, you never worried over how to do this? How to make this work? Even when that subject matter hit so close to home?"

Atsushi-san laughed a little as he put his phone away, "Of course I did. But I did it anyway. It was too important to just cry defeat and give up. That's not how I work."

Ren' studied the confident features of one Atsushi Isami. And he found himself bowing again.

"Atsushi-san, thank you very much for working with me."

He rose out of his bow, and the look on Atsushi-san's face had turned knowing.

"Thank you Tsuruga-san, for the very same. I imagine this was very important to you as well. And for more reasons than one might suspect, hm?"

"Yes," said Ren, "Yes it is."

...

Daisuke's storyline is one that was always going to take me a while to write about, because the actual inspiration comes from way back when I was a kid, and I first learned about Sadako Sasaki. But, I do apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I just kept revising and revising scenes because this was a big ensemble chapter and I wanted to feel juuuust right, lol.

As always, I have many thanks to give out. To my discord folks who helped me while I was waffling about with this chapter, your input was enormously helpful.

To the reviewer who only signed their reviews as 3, thank you. I had no idea that someone else so clearly understood what I was going for. Different people interpret things differently, but seeing your reviews really made me happy.

To every reviewer who came out of the woodwork to review the last chapter, or to those that said you had only ever lurked before you reviewed. I don't know what inspired such a response from you last chapter, but thank you so much! It really moved me that something in my writing made you want to respond. Thank you! As always, I love any feedback I get.

Special shoutout to: Ariasm, Vaeneri, Michiyo, sesshoumarucrazy, brennakai, and artistofthemind (hope this wasn't too long of a wait artist:))

Much love ya'll,

artsy


	7. Chapter 7

Guys, this one's a whopper! Longest one yet. Helpful note: Que up Marty O'Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra 'The Captain's Daughter' and turn it on when you get to: **"My final little bit I set up,".** That's the song that I use there.

 ** _..._**

 ** _A Week and a Half Ago, Konoe Productions Press Conference, Fuji TV Lobby_**

" _I was booted from the room as soon as they realized I was there! There's obviously a problem! And I have no doubt it's due to Yashiro's meddling! That man has been a thorn in my side for four months, and I am sick of it!"_

A young lady in a pink ball cap leaned against a wall in the building's lobby, doing her best to listen in on the phone call discreetly.

" _Of course they were going to be angry! I'm not a halfwit. I told you this was a bad idea. And I can't believe I was so dumb to say I was your manager. Your name hardly gets me anything these days."_

The young lady eavesdropping smirked as the woman snarled into the phone. She adjusted her ball cap, and slowly inched further behind the conveniently placed plant near the water fountains. Even as the young lady continued her various methods of obfuscating her position, the woman she was spying on was only focused on snapping at the person on the other side of the phone.

" _No, I'm not risking my tail further for this nonsense. I no longer care who's got their fingers in what pies, or about your petty revenge. The only thing that matters to me, is keeping myself afloat. Thank God I don't carry the name you do."_

There was a pause, then came another sharp response.

" _Enough. I'm done. This will soon enough descend into chaos. Tell the others. I'm taking that vacation I've been putting off. I'd advise you to do the same, but I know you won't listen."_

With that, the well-dressed woman disconnected her call and slipped her phone into her purse. She glanced around, then hurried to the exit, keeping her head down to avoid notice. Once the woman was out of range, her eavesdropper held a phone to her ear and waited for her call to connect. When it went right to voicemail, she tsked, but went ahead and left the message.

"LoveMe Number One, bait has been taken. Inform the others. And tell Kotonami, with this, she owes me that callback."

Erika Koenji disconnected her call, pulled off her bright pink ball cap and shook her curls loose.

"Stupid thing," she muttered down at it, and tucked it away into her bag. She then strode away, her head held high, and a satisfied smile on her face.

…

Takimoto Misaki was searching for one very hard to find individual. Rather, Kyoko had become hard to find in the past couple of days since the end of shooting for Act Five. Misaki didn't really understand why either. Since she had begun her spying mission Yashiro had given her a couple weeks ago, Misaki prided herself in being able to pinpoint where Kyoko might be at any given point in the day. Kyoko, much to Misaki's confusion, had broken from her typical routine in the past couple of days and that stoked her curiosity.

Misaki cast another casual glance around the lobby, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. It was a little after lunch, and Kyoko wasn't with wardrobe and makeup, or on set. Nor was she in the exercise room. She wasn't in the kitchen, or chatting with Kinji-san at the security desk. She'd not been seen with Kotonami, Yashiro or Tsuruga since the day before at dinner either. It was atypical behavior, she thought as she continued to keep an eye out as she strolled through the halls.

She finally caught sight of her prey when she peeked in the window of the editing room. Kyoko sat at a table, looking between the footage on a screen, and what appeared to be her script. Misaki opened the door, and poked her head in.

"Yashiro-san was looking for you, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko stirred, blinking up at her, "Ah, thank you Misaki-chan," she peered down at the table and sighed, "Looks like I had my phone on silent. Whoops! Well, I'll shoot him a text and see what's up. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem," Misaki replied, curious what Kyoko had been so absorbed by to have missed a call. Kyoko didn't elaborate though and went back to studying the papers in front of her once she sent the text. Misaki stood at the door, feeling awkward, before she decided to bite the bullet and sit down across from Kyoko.

Kyoko glanced up, "Misaki-chan?"

"Sorry, I'm just..well. I don't often catch you alone like this. Are you doing alright?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Ah, sorry. That was a little weird to say. I just meant, since you get along so well with everyone, I'm more used to seeing you around others than alone. I was kind of, uh, impressed by it. I'm a newbie, but I'm older than you, and still, you seem so much more comfortable around everyone, and honestly, I never expected that."

A faint blush tinged Kyoko's cheeks, "Oh, well I guess you get used to the atmosphere the more you work in it, maybe? Not too sure. You're much more comfortable speaking your mind to our directors though. That impresses me."

"Well, you need good communication to do a good job, right?"

"Heh, right," Kyoko smiled back at her. Misaki tilted her head thoughtfully.

"So are you alright then?"

Kyoko looked away, frowning slightly, "I'm not sure. I'm having a couple of... blah days I guess."

"Stress?" Misaki asked, her tone sympathetic.

Kyoko sighed, "Maybe. This last episode we're doing… with it being such an involved episode…well, maybe it's getting to me. I need to show a lot of different expressions, and do so in very short sequences. It's…"

"Exhausting?" Misaki offered.

"Yeah. And real life, life outside of work… That's kind of getting to me right now too. So here you find me, indulging in some 'me' time."

"I get it."

Kyoko sent her a small smile, "You're a really good listener, Misaki-chan."

"I get that a lot, but honestly I'm just kind of nosy. I like knowing things, so I tend to ask," Misaki winked at Kyoko, and that startled a giggle from the younger girl.

"I thought I might find you with Kotonami-san today, actually, since you two are so close. When I didn't see you guys at lunch together today, I might have gotten really curious what was up, eh heh," said Misaki, rubbing at the back of her neck, oddly discomfited.

Kyoko looked at her in surprise at her statement, "Wow, you have such amazing observational skills Misaki-chan!"

Misaki hid a wince, "I'm so sorry, that's my nosiness running away with me."

"Oh it's alright. We are best friends after all. Moko-san is the best, and I'm happy to tell anyone who'll listen! Oh, but, in this case, I just wanted to get in some time to study my scenes for this afternoon."

Misaki nodded, "Makes sense."

They sat there in silence for a moment longer, before Kyoko looked over at her again in curiosity.

"Did you just come to ask how I was Misaki-chan?"

Misaki flushed, "Ahhhhh, I did do that yeah, um, but I thought I might ask your opinion on something, if that's alright?"

"Oh, alright. I'll do my best."

Kyoko sent Misaki a reassuring smile and set her work to the side.

Misaki worried at a hole in her sweater before she plucked up the courage to say what she wanted, "I'm hoping this isn't… weird to ask. But considering your… particular perspective, I thought it would be ok."

Kyoko stared at her for a second, "Misaki-chan? What do you mean?"

Misaki blew out a breath, "Ok, well, I'm just going to say it. There's someone I like that I'm working with on this project and I want to let them know. Kyoko-chan, if you were in my place, how would you do it?"

Kyoko's blood turned to ice in her veins, and she scrambled for a response. For all the downplaying of her keen observational skills, Misaki had zeroed in on the one thing Kyoko prayed she wouldn't notice. This was not a conversation she was prepared to have and her mind see-sawed between distracting and defending. There was no role, no character that could help her now, so she relied on the one thing she knew, denial. Her face ashen, she sputtered a second before the words came to her.

"I-is that really wise Misaki-chan? Wouldn't it be best to keep focused on the important work we're doing here instead of being distracted by silly things like love and crushes?"

It was Misaki's turn to stare at her in disbelief, "Why would me letting someone know how I feel about them distract me? Having not told them, I am currently experiencing the exact opposite, as a matter of fact."

This seemed to throw Kyoko for a loop, but Misaki began to feel more agitated as she remembered the other words the girl had said.

"And why are my feelings silly?! I asked you this because I thought you would sympathize Kyoko-chan!" Misaki stood abruptly, regretting that she'd brought it up.

"Wait!" Kyoko stood also, "I'm sorry, that came out wrong, I just meant, personal feelings too often distract us from what's more important. That's what's silly, not what you feel. When I said, keep your focus, that's what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

Kyoko shrank back at the look on Misaki's face as she said this.

"For you, of all people, to be so… so impertinent as to state such a thing so shamelessly… well, frankly, I'm appalled," continued Misaki, her tone clearly disheartened.

"I…didn't mean…"

"It doesn't matter what you _thought_ you meant Kyoko-chan! What matters is what you said! You said, to my face, that I couldn't help but be distracted by something, something so frivolous! You just... you dismissed both my professionalism, and my seriousness about my feelings. I'm just as professional as you are!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dismiss anything. I just-"

"You just what?" Misaki demanded, cutting her off again. Kyoko flinched. Misaki felt the first stirrings of guilt when she saw it and she softened her tone.

"I came to you because I thought you might be able to help me out. You seemed to be doing a good job at managing both work and a relationship. Clearly, I was mistaken," said Misaki, her tone full of disappointment she couldn't quite quash.

Kyoko looked back up at her nervously, and her fingers twitched involuntarily against the table top. Misaki realized precisely why she did so right at that moment and she sighed.

"Kyoko-chan. I came to you for advice, but let me give you some, woman to woman. Take a good long look at why you just reacted the way you did when I simply suggested being honest."

As Misaki exited the room she chanced a glance back, only to see Kyoko looking small, and alone, surrounded by the emptiness of the vacant editing room. Misaki shook her head, but knew she had said the right thing. Kyoko not being true to herself and what she felt was only going to hurt her later.

…

"Cut!" Shingai shouted, frowning as he observed how Kyoko hid a flinch at the word.

He sighed, "Kyoko-san, to me please. Everyone else, take ten!"

Sugaya-san and Oohara-san stood and stretched some before they strolled off set, while Nick-san sprawled out more comfortably where he'd been sitting. Kyoko did her best to hide the guilt she was sure was plain as day on her face. Her encounter with Misaki-chan earlier that day had badly shaken her, and she hadn't even been that confident with these scenes in the first place.

While Act Five ended with the success for the US Troops on the Destroyer escort, for the Mt. Oguso part of the storyline it had ended with a phone call to the Yoneda residence about Daisuke's passing. Thusly, the beginning scenes of Act Six for Kyoko were much like the ones she'd had for Act Two; with funeral rites and a procession of mourners. Kyoko hadn't been confident with these scenes at all, primarily because it was Yayoi's mother who comforted her, as Yayoi's sister Yumika had never been married and had little idea what to do to comfort a grieving young widow. Kyoko had been well used to diverting her attention from the fact that she still grieved over having never had a loving mother. Now that it was Yayoi, who had reconnected with her mother, actually initiating such behavior, she had very little confidence in portraying that.

"Kyoko-san," Shingai began sofly, "What's on your mind?"

Kyoko mumbled her reply and Shingai sighed again.

"I'm up here Kyoko-san."

Kyoko cleared her throat, looked up at him, and tried again, "Not much is on my mind, except I wish I could express Yayoi's feelings better here."

Shingai studied her, but she said nothing more. He tapped the script against his thigh as he thought, then spoke, "When you think of home, what do you think of Kyoko-san?"

Kyoko blinked up at him in confusion, "Sir?"

"Yayoi's feelings here, it's not just about having lost her husband. After all, she's been unconsciously preparing for that to happen for months. This is about her feeling alone again. Remember, Daisuke promised to make this place feel like home again for her. They promised each other that, since they had lost so much family already. What she's feeling, it has everything to do with her realizing that this place may never feel like the home it used to be before she lost it to the war. She can never go back to that again. So, I ask you again, when I say the phrase, _go home Kyoko-chan_ , what comes to mind?"

Kyoko stared down at her feet, her thoughts whirling. She felt like a faint wind could easily bowl her over when she realized what had first come to mind. _Broad shoulders, piercing eyes, a warm and comforting embrace._

"Do you have that in mind Kyoko-san?" asked Shingai gently.

She nodded once, a short jerky motion.

"Keep that feeling in mind Kyoko-san, hold it close to you. Imagine, if you can, your hope of returning to that being crushed, with all the force of a tsunami."

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back and sniffed.

"Yes, sir," she said instead. Shingai waved her back to set after looking her over one more time.

She, Sugaya-san and Oohara-san settled back in at their table while Nick-san straightened his posture again so he was properly sitting. They waited patiently for another moment, then heard Shingai call for quiet on the set and for the cameras to roll again.

…

"I, I do not mean to intrude on your mourning period. Once we docked again in Tokyo Bay, I was ordered back here by Lieutenant Commander Taylorm," Lt. Bill Burnham said, then paused as he surveyed the women on the other side of the table, desperately wishing he had never needed to have come at all. But wishes very rarely were ever fulfilled in his experience.

"While he was unable to come himself, he entrusted me to pass along his message," he continued. This was never an easy task to complete, and he knew that. Still, every time, his heart ached. When the women said nothing, he spoke again, using the words his commander had instructed him to.

"The message my Commander wanted me to relate to you is as follows: Many months ago I made a promise to Yoneda Michitada that I would look after his family if ever he was not there to do so. I am ashamed to admit that I have failed to do so in this instance. In spite of my best intentions, I was not able to return Yoneda Daisuke safely back into your care. Regardless of my own intentions, Yoneda-san's actions saved lives and he died a hero. Without his actions-"

"We understand Lieutenant," Yoneda Yaeko broke in, her voice firm, "We always knew that Daisuke-kun was a hero. Our family appears to have been made of them."

Bill Burnham winced, "Yes Yoneda-sama. I apologize for my thoughtlessness."

"It is understandable, considering the circumstances," she replied coolly.

Burnham swallowed, nervously tapping his fingers against his folded knees, underneath the table they sat at. He hesitated a second, but then strengthened his resolve and spoke again.

"That is primarily what my commander wanted to relate back to you. While I myself did not know Yoneda Daisuke well, I am glad that I was able to stand with him, as we all did on our ship that day. He will not be forgotten by us at the base. I promise you that."

"Thank you Lieutenant," Yumika said softly.

Yoneda Yayoi simply sat, and said nothing. Burnham shot a discreet glance her way, having never met the girl before. She sat stiffly, looking tiny and fragile with her hands clasped in her lap. She did not once look up to meet his eyes.

"I shall escort you out now," said Yumika, her tone firm as she stood fluidly from the table. Burnham nodded, his heart aching and eager to quickly put such an awkward and painful encounter behind him. Before he stood to follow her though, he slipped a hand into his inner coat pocket, and pulled out a faded, wrinkled piece of paper.

"Yoneda Yayoi-san. This, I'm told, was to be seen by you, and you alone. My commander received it from Yoneda-san before he passed on. It was your husband's last wish that you have it."

He placed it on the table in front of her, and stood, hurriedly putting his uniform cap back on to avoid seeing the crumpled look on Yayoi's face. He turned to follow Yumika, and saw her pressing a hand to her mouth, a distressed furrow in her brow, and tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. He cleared his throat, and brushed by her, wanting to leave the family to their mourning. He'd waited to approach them until a couple days after the procession, but he still understood that his presence must be horribly intrusive. He felt a strong sense of relief when Yumika stepped out of the room a few seconds later, her features more composed, to escort him to the door.

Yoneda Yayoi stared at the words on the piece of paper she had just unfolded and felt her grief overwhelm her numbness for the very first time since she'd heard the news. She curled in on herself a little, sobs tearing free of her throat. Her sobs did not cease even when she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder.

"I had hoped," her mother began, "I had hoped he would be the man to make this place feel like home to you again."

Yayoi's crying did lessen some when she heard those softly spoken words, and she looked up at her mother.

"Kaa-san?" she whispered, desperately trying to comprehend the pain on her mother's face. But her mother just stroked her face gently, brushing away a tendril of hair.

"I am sorry, my daughter. I knew what losing your brother had done, what losing your cousins had done. You kids, you had a good life here, before the war. I had hoped, that married to such a good and honest man, that you would have a good life again. That he could have made this place feel like home again for you."

Tears trickled down Yayoi's cheeks as she heard her mother's words. She reached out for her mother, and Yaeko folded her into a tight embrace.

"I don't...I don't know what to do kaa-san! I don't know! I can't-"

Her mother shushed her gently, rocking her a little.

"You will stand strong, my daughter. You still stand tall, and strong, and proud. Because you are a Yoneda, and this, this will not break you."

Yayoi pulled away some, dazed by the confidence in her mother's voice, "But, but kaa-san...I just...I just feel empty. Like there's nothing left inside. I don't feel strong at all."

Her mother cupped her face then and caught her eyes with her own fierce gaze, "My daughter, if you take any of my words and hold them close to your heart, let it be these. The strength of a woman is not measured in the amount of suffering she has endured; it is shown in the courage she has to face every day that comes after."

A wealth of emotion welled up in the girl then, and tears flowed down her cheeks again, "I promise kaa-san, I promise. I'll be strong."

A watery, tear-filled smile came across Yaeko's face then, and she pulled Yayoi into another tight hug, "Good girl. Good girl."

"Cut!"

Sugaya-san sat back a little, and patted Kyoko on the head, "Are you alright there Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko sniffed loudly, bringing the sleeve of her mofuku kimono to her face to mop up the overflowing tears.

"I will be, shortly, don't worry," she replied, her voice thick with emotion. Sugaya-san just offered her a small smile though, while Director Shingai stepped up next to them.

"Well done ladies, well done. It took a bit, but we got it. Water?"

He offered the pair of them their water bottles, and they gratefully accepted. Kyoko, even as she swallowed many mouthfuls of water, felt shaky. But in spite of her own imbalanced emotional state, there was a strong resolve growing within her to take her secret to the grave with her. Sugaya-san's motherly comfort had hit a little too close to home and she'd been more Kyoko than she'd been Yayoi in that last moment. She had, with some confusion, felt like she'd actually been promising her own mother that she'd be strong.

 _The courage to face every day that comes after?_ Kyoko somehow thought that maybe even her own mother might respect such a notion.

…

When Hizuri Kuu had been informed by his wife that they were to travel to Japan to help their son, he'd stared at her incomprehensibly for a long, long moment. After the tears of happiness, after the reassurances that it was real, after he'd sat and grappled with it for a time, he had felt his first spark of curiosity. What was it about this series that made Kuon want them with him for the end?

When Kuon had been young, he had liked to have his parents with him for his last day of shooting. This didn't always happen, due to his and Juli's schedules, but they had done their damnedest for at least one of them to be there, if not the both of them. It had been a rare pleasure for Kuu to see his son step off of a set, and smile at him, and to tell Kuon _great work today, son._

But after all this time, what was it that made Kuon ask this again? When Juli had said he'd asked for help, and she had elaborated on the _why_ , Kuu had just been happy. Later, once they'd been emailed brief details of the work by both Lory and Kuon, Kuu had realized that this work was also what Kyoko had talked to him about months ago. And so, two weeks past that fateful phone call, he and Juli now sat in a lobby, sharing a pot of tea with one Shingai Seiji, and Kuu was intrigued.

"So I've been given permission by Takashi-san, our screenwriter, to share all of Act Six with you two. Tsuruga-san had requested this of us, and well, we felt it would be...wrong to say no."

Director Shingai offered them a smile, his eyes flicking between the two of them like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nevermind the fact that he and Lory had set this up all on their own and made it possible to get them here in time, the poor man had had a look of stunned disbelief when he'd seen them get out of the LME car that had brought them to the site. That still hadn't gone away yet.

"We'll look it over, but would you mind giving us a brief overview? With how...our son was talking, he's fascinated by this story. And well, that makes..."Juli glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and Kuu gave her a small nod, "That makes the pair of us _really_ curious."

She laughed a little and Shingai relaxed some.

"Certainly. Takashi-san wrote this in mind with a focus on a particularly prominent family, the Yonedas. Yoneda Yaeko is the okami-san of the Yoneda Inn, one that the Yonedas have run for over two centuries. Her husband became a diplomat and held a position in the Diet after the war, and the Occupation of Japan. Yumika and Yayoi are their daughters, and are becoming instrumental figures inside their town, just like the rest of the Yonedas. A running theme is that they're still trying to heal from the war and their losses"

"How interesting," Juli murmured, "A narrative primarily focused on women then?"

Shingai smiled, "That's a good way to put it. The strongest singular male presence, actually, would be Tsuruga-san's character, Lieutenant Commander Jack Taylor of the US Navy."

Juli and Kuu exchanged another glance, but Kuu kept quiet and took another sip of his tea as Shingai continued.

"Yoneda Michitada and Jack Taylor first come across each other at the Tokyo Embassy and realize that they have a few things in common. Michitada offered for the Yonedas to host outreach events at their Inn as a gesture of goodwill. Jack Taylor accepted and said he would head up the effort. Jack Taylor slowly comes to know the rest of the Yonedas, and his character grows and develops through his relationships with the various family members. Act Six in fact, covers the span of about four and a half years, and is all about Yayoi and Jack's growth as characters."

"How is this being marketed exactly?" Kuu asked, trying to finagle an approximation of a press release in his head. With such a narrative so heavily dependent on character growth, instead of an overarching plot, it would be difficult to muster up a two to three sentence paragraph about a miniseries, in his opinion.

Shingai took a sip of his tea, then carefully set the cup down before he replied, "Funny you should ask. We have both domestic backers, and international. This will be released in several countries worldwide, and simultaneously if we can manage it. So, the domestic marketing is all about the Yoneda Family, an old traditional family, trying to find their feet again after the war. Internationally…"

His voice trailed off as he looked at the pair of them. Kuu's eyes narrowed, but it seemed Juli had cottoned on before he had.

"Political intrigue and war with a dash of romance?" She asked, her tone contemplative. Shingai gave them a short nod. Kuu felt himself laugh.

"I can see why you're trying to keep that on the down-low domestically."

"Yes, well," said Shingai, "We're being very careful. Takashi-san wanted this to be a hard-hitter and knew she'd have to be sneaky about it."

"And our roles specifically?" asked Kuu.

"Ah, yes. We have these narration sequences, and episode six has Jack's. Or rather, Tsuruga-san's. So the narrative 'prologue' as it were, needed Jack's parents. Your roles don't take up too much screen-time I'm afraid, but you will be seen in this prologue."

"Fascinating structure for a dramatic miniseries," remarked Juli, as she gave her character biography a quick once-over.

"Thank you for the compliment," said a soft voice behind Kuu. He and Juli turned, surprised, and saw a woman their age, and their son. The three Hizuris stopped and stared at each other, before Kuon smiled.

"Mom, dad, glad you could make it."

It was Juli who moved first, and Kuu couldn't blame her. She rushed to fold Kuon into her arms, even though he had a good six inches on her, and didn't let up for a good long while.

Kuu smiled at the woman he now knew to be Takashi-san, "Takashi-sensei. Very good to meet you."

"Same to you Hizuri-san."

He turned back to his wife and son, just to get in on the hug, and bear-hugged the pair of them as tightly as he possibly could before they began protesting loudly. Kuu boomed out another delighted laugh and set the pair down again.

"Honestly Kuu! You pulled my hair doing that!" Juli grumbled, trying to set it to rights. Kuon was similarly trying to set his clothing to rights but Kuu just grinned.

"Shall we get some dinner then?" he asked his son, "Go over what you wanted to?"

"I figured that was what was next. Boss told me you hurried out of his place without even getting second helpings at lunch," Kuon teased. Kuu could only offer up a shrug.

"There was something I had to do that was more important."

Kuon glanced away, scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment. Shingai coughed and did his best to politely interject.

"We set aside a room for you three, and got a special chef for the occasion."

"Oh, you didn't have to go to those lengths," protested Juli.

Takashi and Shingai exchanged a glance but it was Kuon that spoke up.

"Yes, well, they insisted. They said it was a standing obligation?" Kuon let the amusement leak through his voice as he shot Kuu a telling look. Kuu grinned again and Juli looked them over before her face lightened with realization.

"Do I finally get to meet this other son of yours Kuu?" she asked as she poked at him teasingly, her fingers digging into his stomach for a second.

"It sure seems like it," Kuu replied. Juli then gathered up the script they were given and bowed to Takashi and Shingai.

"Thank you so much for this. Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Both Takashi and Shingai turned them down, saying they'd already eaten, and Kuu was relieved. He needed a good long meal with his favorite people. Kyoko cooking him his favorite food while he did so was just a bonus.

…

Once the Hizuris _finally_ convinced Kyoko to come out of the kitchen to join their meal, Kuu was able to finally pin down what about her was so different. He'd been struck by how much she had grown, but couldn't pinpoint why.

"You grew your hair out," the words felt dumb to say. Especially since Kuon's hair had been cut short for his role, and that had startled him too. But Kyoko with chin length hair struck him as so unusual.

She blushed, "Yes, I did. This series covers a lot of months, and Act Six even covers years, so keeping my hair cut short seemed a little silly."

"Makes sense," said Juli, "I prefer mine long myself, I think it's so pretty. I will say though, that I was little sad to see your pretty hair cut short and dyed like this Kuon."

She shot a playful glare at her son who could only shrug.

"I do what the role requires."

Kuu nodded in approval. They'd had a light-hearted meal so far, just catching up on everything that everyone had done since they'd seen each other last, but a more pressing question weighed on Kuu's mind.

"So how did she find out?" He asked Kuon. He'd thought he'd said this quietly, but the girls on the other side of the table stopped talking when he asked as well.

Kuon tapped a nervous finger on the table, but simply took a sip of his water and said nothing.

"Kuon," Kuu said, his voice low, "I'm only asking because you were the one that wanted this kept quiet. I can understand telling your director and your screenwriter, especially since you requested us to do this and you would have needed permission. But we've been calling you by your real name all night. Hasn't fazed Kyoko-chan a bit. What's happened?"

Kyoko-chan looked as pale as the white plates they were eating off of, and Kuu felt some regret at that. But, he wanted to know what had happened with his boy that would make him so cavalier about someone else knowing. Had she found out all on her own? Had he told her? Were they truly that close? Kuu had to know, he didn't want anyone else taking advantage of his son.

"Kuu," said Juli softly as Kuon stayed silent, "Do we really need to get into this?"

"Yes," he replied firmly.

Kyoko shifted nervously, "Tsuruga-san, if you-"

"Don't! Don't call me that," Kuon cut her off sharply and Kuu's eyebrows raised as Kyoko flinched slightly. Juli stared between the two of them, concern clear on her face.

"Kuon, if she's supposed to call you that when you're in public, don't reprimand her like that! It's rude, and unnecessary," Juli scolded him. Kuon pinched the bridge of his nose, then rubbed harshly as his face.

"I'm sorry Mogami-san. I didn't mean to snap like that. Mom's right, it's rude. Dad, I told her. We knew each other as kids. We were friends then, and I couldn't keep quiet, not when I was effectively lying about it to her face, even as we reignited our friendship."

Kuon sent him a challenging stare and Kuu held up a hand in surrender, "Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. That's all. I had no idea something like finding an old friend is what sparked this. If that's the case, I am beyond happy for you."

Kyoko piped up again, uncertainty coloring her tone of voice, "Um, I can leave, take care of the dishes in the kitchen if you guys need some time-"

"You're fine Mogami-san," Kuon reassured her, then turned to them again, "Look, Mom, Dad, I'm just taking it one step at a time here. I have found that I genuinely enjoy working in Japan. It's been...incredibly fulfilling. I think I've grown a lot. Do I know yet if I want to be known as Hizuri Kuon again? No, I still have no idea. But, I'm sick and tired of not talking with you, of not sharing things with you, of not being a family. I don't know how it would work, since I want to stay in Japan and keep working, but that's what I want."

Kuu and Juli looked at each other, a familiar longing springing up between them. Kuu looked away and studied the grain of the table as Juli spoke for the both of them.

"We want that too. If we just have to pre-plan a ton so we can spend time together, we will. We didn't do that when you were a kid, and that was our fault. We were...lackadaisical at best when trying to make sure we always had family time to spend together when you were growing up. If you think of this place as home now, we're not going to demand you do something crazy like come see us every weekend, when our home is all the way over in the U.S."

Kuu cut in then, "I do demand at least two vacations spent together a year."

His outrageously childish pout as he said it broke the rest of the tension in the group and a ripple of amusement ran through the room.

"I think I can manage that," said Kuon, a bright smile coming across his face. Kuu thought it was the best damned thing he'd seen all day. Kuu grabbed his glass and took a swig, and caught sight of the bittersweet look on Kyoko's face. He set his cup down gently, and tried to figure out a way to change the subject.

"Kyoko-chan! With the _seriousness_ ," she giggled a little at the ridiculous face he made as he said that, "...out of the way, tell me about your role. What's changed since we talked last?"

Kyoko looked stumped for a second, but then her face lightened, "Oh! We got the rest of the story! The Yoneda Matriarch, the okaa-sama problem I told you about, you remember it?"

"Sure do!" He replied, while Juli and Kuon looked on, curious.

"It got better!" Kyoko smiled brightly, "Sugaya-san even made me _cry_ in our scene the other day! She was amazing!"

Kuon interjected, "Wait, why was it amazing to cry?"

Juli just sighed and shook her head, "It happens, idiot son of mine."

Kuon looked affronted but Kuu shoved a hand in his son's face to shut him up, "Tell me more Kyoko-chan."

Kuon spluttered behind his hand and Kyoko let out a quietly horrified giggle but Kuu just urged her to go on with her story.

"Okay, so, Yayoi gets widowed, right? It's this whole thing. Atsushi-san was amazing at being such a loving husband, by the way."

The look on Kuon's face turned sour then and Kuu distracted him again by stuffing part of a daifuku in his mouth. (Kyoko made delicious daifuku and Kuu knew that even Kuon couldn't complain about eating one.)

"Go on then, sweetie," said Juli as Kyoko looked at Kuon with some concern as he tried to swallow the part of the sweet his father had smashed onto his face.

"Um, alright. So the Yoneda family had such a strained relationship, and it was because Michitada disapproved of Yayoi getting married so young, but the okami-san, played by Sugaya-san, approved it anyway when Michitada was bedridden in the hospital from a mugging."

"What?!" Juli gasped, "Why would a wife do that when the husband disapproved?"

"Because she cared so much!" said Kyoko, partly wailing now.

"The okami-san just wanted her kids to have a place they could call home again, and she thought Yayoi being married to a man who loved her _that much_ would mean that she would think of the place as home again! Of course, no one in the Yoneda family had _any idea_ that Yayoi's poor husband was a survivor of the A-bomb, and that there was no way the marriage could last. Yayoi herself only learns that later, but the okami-san just wanted her daughter to feel like she had a home again!"

Juli sniffed along with Kyoko and Kuu rolled his eyes, "Twisted bit of logic there. What about what Yayoi wanted?"

"I know, right?" muttered Kuon, having finished the bit of daifuku.

Juli shot the pair a dirty look, "Sometimes what mothers do doesn't make sense to others, alright?!"

"They're just...they're just flawed human beings you know?!" said Kyoko, still sniffing, "They make bad choices sometimes, but they do it because _they care so much!"_

She began to cry at this, the tears running down her cheeks and Juli patted her sympathetically on the back.

"I get it, I get it. So this Sugaya-san, she did a scene with you that made you cry?" asked Juli.

"Yeah...She was just so good in it, you know? It was this scene in which Yayoi is given the last note Daisuke ever wrote to her, and the okami-san finally tells the truth about why she said yes to the marriage. So this scene is talking about how Daisuke and Yayoi had made each other this promise that because they had lost so much, they wanted to make the place feel like the home that they were both trying to find again and-"

"Oh, oh no. That's so rough," said Juli. Kuu and Kuon exchanged a look, feeling a little guilty again as Kyoko sniffed some more, and tried to mop up her tears.

Juli patted her again in sympathy, "A painful scene to be sure. But that's a good truth to have between mother and daughter. I can't say I disagree with the concept either."

"What? What does that mean?" asked Kuon, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Juli smiled over at him, as she patted Kyoko one last time, "I've always thought 'home' wasn't a place; it was people. They are the people you can tell all your woes to, and all your triumphs. They are the ones you want to see after a hard day's work. They are where you go when your mind, heart, and soul need rest. That place, that warm, loving place where you are together, it doesn't matter where it is, so long as you are together. That place, _that_ is 'home'."

Juli caught Kuu's hand with hers and smiled at him. Kuu felt his heart race as she did and he drew her hand to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it.

"Well said, wife of mine."

"Well, you taught it to me, husband dearest."

They smiled at each other. They didn't notice, but Kyoko and Kuon looked away, embarrassed to see such a private sight. Kuu once more found himself feeling gratitude over the fateful phone call from two weeks ago.

Kyoko, as she watched Ren watch his parents, could only agree with what Juli had said.

 _Home wasn't a place, it was people._

…

Ren had the distinct feeling of self-consciousness creeping in on him. He didn't much care for the feeling. In his many years away from home, he'd forgotten the peculiar awareness he felt whenever he knew his mother and father were on set with him.

Act Six began from Jack's perspective, with his prologue and narration, then with his ship docking in Tokyo Bay. Jack then sent out Burnham to personally deliver both his message, and Daisuke's last words. The scene directly after that one for Jack, was one where he received his next orders for his unit. So while the first act of episode six was primarily exposition for both Jack and Yayoi and took place over the span of a week, the second act covered a much larger span of time. To keep the running time reasonable, there were brief scenes of Jack and his unit in several different locations, and included them fighting the enemy, or delivering supplies, or escorting bigger cargo supply ships.

Essentially, they had to cover the span of time from early 1951, to late 1953, when Jack resigned his commission, with his contract with the US NAVY finally fulfilled. As they had filmed the military combat and engagement along with the rest of the footage needed for Act Five, Ren's work on Act Six began with his resignation scene. As his parents had only been able to wrangle five days free from their schedule (and that included their travel time), their shooting time was set for right after he finished this scene. Shingai wanted to work with them himself, but didn't want his AD to direct Ren's scene, so Shingai had decided to just do them one right after the other.

Ren normally wouldn't mind this one bit, however, this particular scene hit a little close to home. He tried his best to bury that feeling deep though. His embarrassing rehearsal was still fresh in his mind, as was Kyoko's challenge. _I'll be waiting on the battlefield_. He wanted to knock this scene out of the park for more than one reason, but he still appreciated the motivation that challenging demand gave him.

After she'd touched up his hair and clothes once last time, Konou-san, his makeup artist, stepped back and gave him a long look.

"Ready?" she asked softly.

He nodded, his resolve growing stronger.

A smile flickered over her face, "Kick it in the ass. You've got some people to impress."

Ren smiled in return as she glanced over at his parents. This was a small, intimate scene, and so was the one his parents were doing. Such scenes didn't require a large amount of crew, so Konou-san was one of the few members of the crew that were on set with them. Ren had even asked Yashiro to refrain from attending. While Ren and Lory had finally come clean to Yashiro about what Tsuruga Ren's real name was (as it had become harder to hide it than to just be honest), Ren knew he would have felt even more self-conscious with his manager there as well. He could only be thankful that Lory was in Tokyo.

As it stood anyways, there'd been murmurings all morning because the resemblance was truly uncanny. No one had dared approached him about it, likely at the behest of the director. Regardless, he appreciated Konou-san's remarks all the same. He nodded to her and then took his mark. He was ready.

…

"Lt Cmdr Taylor, please, come in. Have a seat!"

Jack's CO was an older, jovial gentleman and often commented that Jack reminded him a great deal of his grandfather. It used to be, that Jack was happy whenever he'd heard that. But he'd grown since then. Commander Johnson peered out at him over a pair of bifocals, and ushered him further inside his office. Jack chose to stand instead of sit, tucking his uniform cap beneath his arm and placing papers on the commander's desk.

"This won't take long sir, I just wanted to make sure you signed off on these."

"Ah, yes, my secretary informed me you weren't re-upping your contract," said Commander Johnson as he picked up the papers to look them over.

"No sir, I'm not."

"Terrible shame that, your grandfather wanted you to make a career out of it, like he did."

A muscle in Jack's jaw flexed, but his tone was neutral when he replied, "While I'm grateful that my grandfather's recommendation helped me become a commissioned officer, I find that I'm...more fulfilled doing other work."

Commander Johnson's eyebrows raised as his gaze flicked back up to Jack instead of the paperwork.

"Not to play the devil's advocate, but you've got one of the best track records of any men under me. You were being fast-tracked for promotion at every point in your career. Pardon me if I'm a little, disbelieving as it were, but why the change of heart? You had fire in you boy."

Behind his back, Jack's fist curled and uncurled. Once more, he forced his tone into neutrality, "So it was. Does it matter how it happened? I've fulfilled the terms of my contract, have I not?"

His CO's eyes narrowed and he tossed the papers down on his desk.

"Your grandfather intended you to live up to his legacy, even surpass it. Your track record shows you were well on your way to do so. And what the boys in DC want right now, is a success story. Your grandfather was smart enough to calculate all that. All this, it's played out just as your grandfather intended."

"And I believe history will judge us not for our _intentions_ , but for the actions we choose to take," Jack responded sharply.

A deep frown creased the folds of Commander Johnson's face, "You're walking a fine line Taylor. They aren't going to leave you be. Not with McCarthy on the warpath."

"With respect sir, no I'm not. I'm taking myself off the board of play," Jack tugged out another piece of paper from his inner coat pocket, and placed it on his CO's desk.

Commander Johnson let out an agitated hiss of breath, "Taylor this better not be what I think it is."

"If you think it's my proof of documentation for Japanese citizenship, then yes, it is what you think it is."

"Damn it Taylor!" Commander Johnson stood abruptly and shoved the piece of paper back at Jack. Jack shoved it back in his pocket as his CO glared at him fiercely.

"Your grandfather never would have allowed this!"

"Then it's probably a good thing that my grandmother disowned me, hm? There will be nary a mark left to the Taylor name."

"Don't get smart with me boy!"

Jack met the commander's gaze unflinchingly, his shoulders back and his head held high, "My parents named me Junichi Jackson Taylor."

There was a ringing silence, and then Jack spoke again, "Not boy, not Pete Taylor's grandson. I am Junichi Jackson Taylor. It's about time I was honest about that."

His CO's eyes were wide and disbelieving, but Jack was done. He put his cap back on, gave Johnson one last look, gestured to the paperwork, then said, "You can send that to me at my new address in Tokyo. You can't miss it, it's right near the Embassy."

Junichi Jackson Taylor gave Johnson one last smile, then turned and exited.

...

Ren's self-consciousness abruptly resurfaced when he stepped off set once Shingai cleared him to, when he saw his parents were waiting for him.

They held their arms out, and Ren couldn't help but step into them. His mother let out a loud sniff, and said something about her handsome, lovely son, but Ren couldn't make out much more buried in the three-way hug as they were. After some more sniffling, his mother stepped back and placed her hand on his cheek.

"You were so good Kuon," she whispered, "So, so good. You sounded so fierce and proud. I'm so proud of you!"

Kuu thumped him hard on his back when his mother stepped away. Ren went to protest how hard it was, only to find himself on the receiving end of his father's tremulous smile.

"Dad?" He asked, concerned.

Kuu just kept smiling, and then finally managed to get out the words.

"Great work today, son."

Ren found himself blinking back tears as he unexpectedly found himself remembering one of his last US-based productions when he was fourteen. His father had been there the last day, had hugged him tight when he'd done his last scene, and said those same words, _great work today, son._

"Thanks Dad," he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Then, without any shame or self-consciousness whatsoever, Ren pulled both his parents into another hug and held on tight.

…

"Are you alright sir?" asked Iwasaki-san as Shingai blew his nose into his handkerchief.

While his voice cracked tellingly, Shingai replied with certainty, "I'm good. I just can't believe I got to witness that happening. We're making magic here. We really are. Today's a good day."

Iwasaki smiled and shook his head a little before he noticed one of the crew members getting distracted from the fog machine.

"Hey! Hey!" He called out to them, "More fog! Not less! This is a hazy memory! Come on guys! Quit getting distracted!"

He winced a little as that came out and glanced worriedly at Shingai. He breathed a sigh of relief when Shingai waved him on.

Iwasaki hurried over to the lighting team as he saw them put on too orange of a light filter for their big spotlight.

"Too orange!" he shouted, "Too much! Tone it down. Come on people. This is a _hazy memory!"_

Shingai chuckled a little as he saw his AD whip the crew into a frenzy to fix up their last scene of the day. He checked the time on his watch as he saw the kid they cast walk in with his mom. They were a bit early, but ah well, he'd roll with it. He was having a good day.

He beckoned them over and gave them the directions they needed. After getting that squared away, he went to his preferred handheld camera he used for close-up, intimate scenes. The upcoming scene, since Shingai had had a specific image he wanted to show, was one where the audience would primarily focus on Jack's parents, and do so from Jack's point of view. They would walk beneath blooming cherry blossom trees in an arboretum, and would be swinging kid Jack as they walked along. All the while, Shingai would keep the camera behind the boy, and angle it up to mimic his point of view.

They'd have to fill in the arboretum in post-processing, as cherry blossoms were out of season. Shingai had loved the idea, so it was work he didn't mind doing, and luckily, their partial inside/outside set up they were using had a conveniently placed walking path. And he had fake blossoms and fake petals at the ready. As he saw the Hizuris detach themselves from each other, Shingai motioned for Kuu and Juli to go over to their places.

As they took their spots, playing around a little with the boy they'd cast, Shingai watched for Iwasaki's signal. Once it was given, Shingai felt himself smile. He couldn't help it, he was eager to see the final result.

…

"Mom, mom! Are these your favorite?" Jack asked, showing a blossom to his mother and eager for her to respond.

"They sure are sweetie," Jack's mother smiled down at him, "Aren't they pretty?"

He felt himself nod, "Yeah!"

"Say it with me son, _sakura_."

Father and son repeated the word a couple more times before Jack got distracted again.

"Kiiiiite!"

His parents looked up at the sky, and Jack took the opportunity to start swinging himself between them. His parents laughed, and pulled him up, playing along. Jack did this for a little while longer before he spotted something else.

He paused in his walking, and pulled his hands free from his parents' grip. Once Jack walked near enough, he could see what was on the tree properly.

"A ribbon?"

His mother stepped up close to him, "Oh, now this is something I've not seen in some time."

His father stepped closer, "What's it mean?"

"Old legend says, if you a tie a ribbon on a tree, it'll help make your wish come true."

"Is that right?" said Jack's father softly, running his fingers over the knot in the ribbon.

Jack yanked on it though, trying to get it off, "I like the color though, I want it!"

His mother closed her fingers around his, "No, Jack. You don't get to have this."

He pouted, "Why not?!"

"It's a wish remember? If you take it off, it won't come true."

Jack stopped yanking on it, not wanting his mother to keep making that disappointed face, "Oh, ok. Can't I put a ribbon on the tree then?"

His mother hummed in thought, "I think any kind of cloth will do. Here," she tore a bit off from the frayed hem of her yellow skirt.

Jack frowned at it, "But it's not red."

"Well, yellow is important too."

"It is?" He looked at her suspiciously, and both his parents chuckled.

"Yellow _is_ important. I promise. It can mean hope, it can mean joy. It's even a symbol for the season of spring. Oh, you remember the daffodils I grow? Those yellow flowers and how early they bloom? They're some of the earliest blooms I get. It lets me know spring is coming," Jack's mother smiled down at him and he giggled a little as she chucked him under his chin.

His dad ruffled his hair, "Want us to help you tie it, son?"

"Yes please!" Jack said. The three of them picked one of the lower branches, and Jack tossed the ribbon over the tree limb, his mother grabbing one part of the cloth, and his dad the other.

"Alright kiddo," said his mom, "Make a wish!"

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and made his wish. When he opened his eyes again, the three of them had tied it on. His parents smiled down at him and Jack was pretty sure his wish would come true.

 _Remember. Remember this moment. Remember this forever._

…

Ren and Kyoko managed to wrangle enough time free in their schedule, with Yashiro's cooperation, to spend some time with his parents the last day they were on site with them. For Kyoko, it was a genuine joy for her to watch Ren and his parents reconnect. As they toured around the premises together, and enjoyed the autumn blossoms in the gardens they were near, Kyoko got the sense that Ren's parents also genuinely didn't mind that she tagged along. Kuu really liked her cooking, and apparently Juli really wanted to know more about her son's old childhood friend. It was such a difference from being around Kanae's family, or even around Shotaro's, that Kyoko didn't even realize what about it felt so weird until she and Ren were actually saying their farewells to them.

Both Kuu, then Juli pulled her in for a hug after they had hugged him, then Juli smiled and said, "I'm so happy we got to spend time with you. You're so fun to be around."

"And smart too. You keep my boy on his toes, hm?" Kuu winked at her as she blushed.

(They may have witnessed an incident in which Ren attempted to help her in the kitchen and Kyoko had turned to him, smiled sweetly, then said, "You? In _my_ kitchen? Tsuruga-san, as your friend, I urge you to recall the last time you tried this, and in which you _burned scrambled eggs_. You still have much more to learn, my cooking kouhai." Ren had sulked. It had been adorable.)

But it was then, as they said their goodbyes, that Kyoko had finally understood. Shotaro's parents had never said things like _you're fun to be around_ and Kanae's family had never said things like _you're smart, hm?_ With Shotaro's parents, it had always been worry, concern, and despair at trying to raise a child they'd not anticipated that they would need to raise. Kanae's family, as fun as they were, had never once asked her about herself, only things about Kanae.

Kuu and Juli had wanted to know her, truly know her, as she was. They were genuinely curious, and honest about their curiosity. They were like the okami-san and taisho of the Darumaya. Something warm and fuzzy bloomed within her then, and Kyoko found herself smiling as she waved at them as they were driven away in the car sent by LME.

"Thank you for letting me spend time with them Ren," said Kyoko softly.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair, "I had an ulterior motive you know. We've hardly been able to spend time together this past week. They were just a good way to get time alone with you."

A laugh was surprised out of Kyoko and she shoved his arm off of her, "Oh you're such a liar. Konou-san and Nagahama-san were _totally_ gossiping about how many times you guys were hugging on set."

Ren shrugged it off, throwing her a teasing glance, "Whatever you'd like to believe. Two birds, one stone."

She rolled her eyes, "You're impossible."

"You love it," came his quick response. Kyoko blushed again, twirling a bit of her hair so she could distract herself from him saying something like that.

They entered the lobby of the building about then, and Yashiro looked up from his planner, "They get sent off ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks for all your help Yashiro-san," said Ren.

Yashiro smiled back at him, "No problem. That's what a good manager is for. Isn't it so much easier for me to do my job when I have _all the facts?_ "

His pointed emphasis did not go unnoticed and Kyoko snickered while Ren looked abashed.

"Ahha, indeed. Can I just apologize again for this summer?"

"You may," responded Yashiro graciously.

Ren bowed a little, his tone a touch sardonic as he spoke, "So kind of you to accept my many apologies."

Kyoko giggled when Yashiro sniffed haughtily.

"I need to get to my scene at the teahouse, so I'll see you guys later, alright?" Kyoko piped up.

The two of them waved her off, and she left the lobby, sighing in contentment. It'd been a long couple days, but they'd been good ones. She thought again to Ren's words the first night his parents had come. _I'm taking it one step at a time_. She could appreciate that philosophy.

…

When it happened, it was when Kinji least expected it. They'd only had a week left, and he'd spent most of his time on shift clearing out their personnel badges in their system that let them access the rooms they needed in the building. He was behind their security desk, tossing another pile in their bin when he caught sight of an oddly bundled up pair.

He recognized Morizumi Kimiko on second glance, but stayed ducked out of sight, and she and her companion sailed right by, and the man with her carried a camera bag. She did it so confidently, Kinji could only assume she'd been watching him for some time. She must have made note of when he did badge clear-outs. It would be the only thing that would make him pay less attention to their cameras in their lobby.

Since Morizumi would then be working on the assumption she hadn't even been noticed, Kinji thought that maybe he might then have the advantage. She was down the hallway now, so he got out his walkie talkie and patched a message through to the security team on set with the cast and crew.

"Bogey spotted. Notify Yashiro Yukihito."

Static came through and then, "Notified."

Kinji smiled slightly as he watched Morizumi turn a corner.

 _Morizumi Kimiko, trespassing is a crime you know._

...

Ren was exiting the dining hall when the call came through from Yashiro. Ren paused near the A/V room as Yashiro related Kinji-san's message and sighed. He knew their good vibe had been too good to last. Grimly he wondered what kind of trick she'd use this time.

On the Lotus set, it had been pulling emergency handles, causing people to evacuate. Maddeningly, she had never been caught, and until Uesugi Hiou had overheard one of her phonecalls at his family's dojo, they'd not realized she'd had a person on the inside. They'd been able to handle it once they'd gained that one vital piece of information.

Kinji-san and Momose-san had informed them about the trouble with her and Ogata's AD from his last production and the resulting consequences. Ogata had eventually got it under control, but still Ren wondered. What would she do this time? Would it escalate?

"Keep an eye out, we don't know which of us she'll come across firs-"

Ren didn't catch the rest of what Yashiro said because he caught sight of Morizumi just then. He disconnected the call, and brought up the recording app on his phone and turned it on, then slid the phone into his shirt pocket, where it would more easily pick up sounds.

He did this not a moment too soon, as Morizumi looked around her, and over her shoulder, and saw him.

"Tsuruga-san! I'm so glad I got to see you!"

"Well, color me surprised Morizumi-san. What brings you here?"

What exactly had Morizumi put together for that matter? Did she know he was CEO of Riverbank? Or did she only know of Yashiro and the inquiries he'd made? Did she know that it was Ogata that had tipped them off at the TraMa premiere so Yashiro could further deepen his investigation? Ren studied the unconcerned smile plastered on her face, and felt his unease deepen.

"Your casting director put out a call for extras for the festival you all are doing in this part of your production, and I got lucky enough to be included!"

Nanaka-san had done no such thing. People in town had offered to set up a historical recreation of one of their shrine festivals for the event in question-with the help of base personnel, and Shingai and others on the production had happily accepted. But Morizumi lied so flawlessly about it, that if Ren hadn't known the truth already, he would have been hard-pressed not to believe her.

"Is that right? Good for you!"

"Truly, it was pure luck!" Morizumi leaned in closer, and Ren took a step backwards.

"One question Morizumi-san," said Ren softly.

"Yes?" she batted her eyelashes and leaned in closer. Ren barely held back a snort of disgust.

"If you're here as an extra, why are you in our lodging building? For that matter, why did you bring your own personal photographer?"

He tossed his bag down the hallway, the material of it letting it slide quite far down, about to where he'd pinpointed seeing a lens peek around a corner. He heard muffled cursing down that way, and Morizumi paled, and whipped around.

"Should I leave?" the voice drifted out to them and he thought he heard Morizumi growl in frustration.

She swung back around and glared at him. Ren raised an imperious eyebrow. Morizumi sneered and shouted back at the photographer.

"Get the shot, or don't get paid."

Ren stared her down, "Luck, was it? Did you really think this was going to work?"

"Perception is all that matters Tsuruga-san," she said as a cruel smile twitched her lips upward. Ren continued to be unimpressed.

"You're just giving me more ammunition you know," He warned her.

She scoffed, "Ammunition for what? How easy of a target you are?"

That… didn't even make sense, but Ren hadn't really expected her to. As he was contemplating this, Morizumi's eyes widened and she stared past him at something. Ren turned to look, only to feel her grab his upper arms and yank him closer to her. Almost immediately, he shoved her away, but even as he glared at her in fury, she smirked.

"I got it Morizumi-san!" came the voice down the corridor. Morizumi's smirk widened.

"Thanks for your cooperation, Tsuruga-san."

"I wasn't cooperating," he snarled back at her, beyond done with her immature and childish tricks, "What you are doing though, is actually against the law. You're trespassing, and you know it."

"So what if I'm trespassing? I'm done here now," she leaned in closer, her features twisting into something ugly as she spat out her next words, low and ugly, "The more I get in your way, the more your _wonderful_ manager has to deal with the consequences."

Ren's temper flared and he stepped closer. He'd not wanted to use his size for intimidation, not when such a situation could be misconstrued, but, he found himself unable to refrain from doing so.

"Whatever stupid, childish tricks you try, he'll tie you up in so much legalese it'll make you wish you'd never even _heard_ the name Yashiro Yukihito."

"Well, that's a flattering remark on my capabilities there, Ren."

Ren looked up from where he was glaring down at the girl, smiling in satisfaction as he heard his manager's voice. Kinji-san, Kotonami-san and Kyoko were with him, and they dragged the photographer with them.

As soon as Morizumi caught sight of Kinji she curled her hands into fists.

"What is this?!" She hissed.

It was Kyoko who answered, as sweet a smile on her face as her words were ruthless, "Oh my, what disgraceful behavior. Weren't you ever taught how to greet your betters?"

"Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro gasped, while everyone else could only stare, shocked by the rudeness.

"Oh I apologize. It is impolite to scold another in public isn't it?" Kyoko smiled sweetly again, but the cold anger in her voice was obvious.

She let out a chuckle then, and said, "I'm just so amused that she thought this would actually work."

"Shut up!" Morizumi snarled.

Ren, now having stepped away from her, shot her a disapproving look.

"Morizumi-san-" he started, but was interrupted by Kyoko.

"Oh I imagine she believes her attitude to be completely in the right, don't you Morizumi-san? You like to believe you're above us don't you? You reek of the kind of entitlement that's let you get away with bad behavior like this," Kyoko took her kimono sleeve and raised it to her face as if to mask a foul stench as she said this.

There was a long, stunned silence as everyone marveled over Kyoko's viciousness even as Morizumi glared at her, visibly enraged. Kyoko slid forward suddenly, startling Morizumi-san into stepping backwards and further away from Ren.

"Do us all a favor Morizumi and don't lower our collective IQs by acting like you got in here by mistake. You act for shit in any case. You're trespassing, and you did it deliberately to cause trouble," Kyoko's sneer was harsh and spiteful and Morizumi's face bloomed a humiliated red.

While the rest seemed speechless still, Kyoko spoke again, "Apologize to Tsuruga-san for your behavior. And apologize to Yashiro-san and the rest of us for wasting our time."

"Kyoko-chan!" came Yashiro-san's aghast whisper. Kyoko just stared the other woman down until Morizumi could no longer look her in the eye.

"Apologize," demanded Kyoko.

Morizumi looked to the side, obviously seething, then spat out the words, "I apologize for my behavior."

"And?"

"And for wasting your time," Morizumi snarled.

Kyoko sent her another merciless smile, "Good girl. Now leave. Kinji-san would _love_ to escort you out."

Morizumi shot her one more humiliated glare but let Kinji-san take her arm. Something deep in Kyoko purred in satisfaction and she crossed her arms and smiled as she watched it happen. Kanae grabbed the man's camera and he protested before Kyoko silenced him with a glare.

"Get the memory card," said Yashiro, still sounding faintly appalled.

"That's my property!" the man protested.

"And you used it, and a camera, on a premises that deliberately bans such actions unless you have the proper authorization. But hopefully, Morizumi-san here will pay your legal fees," Yashiro smiled sunnily at the horrified looks on both their faces.

He and Kinji then marched them back down the corridor once Kanae had given them the camera and memory card. Kanae waved them farewell sarcastically, then started typing away on her phone, her fingers flying over her keyboard. The action reminded Ren of his own, and he pulled his phone out and stopped his recording app. He then sent the file to Yashiro, so it would be taken care of as needed.

After a moment, Ren cleared his throat, "Mogami-san."

Kyoko glanced at him, raising one questioning eyebrow.

Ren spoke up hesitantly, "Wasn't that a little harsh?"

Kyoko smirked, "I don't know, was it? I was simply trying to employ skills you've taught me about unprofessional behavior in the workplace. You've taught me well, don't you think so?"

Something about the glint in her eye struck Ren as disproportionately satisfied. Before he could say anything though, Kyoko went to Kanae's side and peered down at her phone.

"Notifying Koenji-san?"

"Yep. And Hiou-kun. He wanted to be told."

"Ah, good plan. I should do the same with Momose-san. Well, Tsuruga-san, we have to get back to set, but I'm sure we'll meet you for dinner with Yashiro-san later," Kyoko had on her typical sunny smile as she said this, and that dashed most of Ren's worry.

She and Kanae walked off, talking to each other, and notifying the others involved, and Ren stared after her.

He had the lingering feeling that he was missing something.

…

"I hope you're aware that your behavior earlier was unacceptable."

Kyoko only glanced over at him, her face clearly spelling out how ludicrous she felt that comment was as she tossed her purse down on her bed. Yashiro's lips thinned in frustration as he saw it. Kyoko had seemed perfectly fine the rest of the day, but when he'd caught Ren looking at her in concern as well when they'd all met up for dinner, Yashiro had requested that Kotonami-san steer clear of their dorm room so he could talk to Kyoko alone. Clearly Kyoko had been expecting such a thing to happen, because she didn't even blink when she saw him.

Yashiro paced a little, then turned to face her, "I'm not kidding. That out there, earlier, I don't want to see it again. It was unnecessary, and unacceptable."

Kyoko, to his surprise, simply scoffed, and looked away, "Yashiro-san, surely you haven't forgotten how spiteful a person I can be when I'm angered."

The _flippancy_ of her words, the arrogance of her tone, it left him speechless. He paced again, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"You will listen to me in this. We were _done_ with this Morizumi problem. After months of me grinning and bearing it, and wrangling every damn story I could out of people, and remember, I began this to protect _you and to protect Ren,_ this was simply the icing on the cake. And that's when you decide to be reckless? No, not on my watch. Not again."

Kyoko glared over her shoulder at him, "Of course I get scolded over this. Why not? It seems any time I try to stand up for myself, I get scolded. I suppose I should just get used to it by now."

"Damn it Kyoko-chan! What you need to be, is _self-aware_. Stand up for yourself, fine, defend what you need to, fine, but that, that behavior earlier, that was more than that. And you know it! You know it! It was unnecessary to go that far, and you were mean, and you were cruel. And I know you're better than that! I know it!"

"Isn't it that you just would like me to be?" replied Kyoko snidely, "Isn't that just like people. They want you to _be nice_ , to _rise above it_. But guess what? I'm petty."

Yashiro returned her glowering look, stare for stare, "I know I'm right. And I know I'm right because I have been watching you for nearly two years. And I have watched you grow. The Kyoko that I admire, the one that I see, every day that we are together, is the girl that is kind. She's considerate, generous, and strong. That's the girl I am proud to call my client. The girl I'm proud to call a rising star of LME."

"That out there," he pointed in the direction of the door for emphasis, "That out there was nothing but a spiteful schoolgirl rubbing her rival's face in the fact that she had lost. Am I wrong Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko's chin trembled as she fought back tears. It was all for nothing, and hot tears began to run down her face, as she looked away, her hands clenched in the folds of her skirt. She shook her head almost imperceptibly and heard Yashiro sigh. She felt his hand on her shoulder then, patting it gently while he made soft hushing noises to try to soothe her.

"We've effectively neutralized the Morizumi influence, but that made me worry. It really did. Don't worry me like that, alright?"

Kyoko nodded as she sniffled, and Yashiro handed her a handkerchief to blow her nose.

"I'm sorry Yashiro-san, I'm so sorry. She just made me so, so _angry_. I know it's stupid, I do," Kyoko blew into the hankie and Yashiro made more shushing noises.

"It seems so stupid now. You must think I'm so childish. God, I don't even want to imagine what Ren will say about my behavior. I know he loves me, and accepts that I have a temper, but he must be disappointed in me. Right!?"

Kyoko turned a tearful gaze on him, and Yashiro blinked down at his charge, astonished. There was a long silence, and Kyoko cocked her head.

"Yashiro-san?" Her face turned pale then, "Oh no! You think he'll yell at me don't you?! That's why you're not saying anything!"

"Kyoko...Kyoko-chan," tried Yashiro, his voice cracking in his shock, but Kyoko talked over him.

"He's gonna yell at me! He'll tell me that I'm the worst kouhai he's ever had, and that I was dumb to even-"

"Kyoko-chan!" Yashiro finally managed to shout over her, "Kyoko-chan! You know he loves you?!"

Kyoko turned white and she tried to wiggle away, but Yashiro held her in place.

"Do not try to run from this! If you can't be honest with me, then I'm going to assume the worst," he told her, his voice hard as he studied her.

"The worst? What's you worst?" She asked, her tone more panicked than before.

"That you know he loves you and you're just messing around! Ren is actually pretty fragile, if you haven't noticed. You're a lot stronger than he is!"

Kyoko tore her gaze away from his and muttered down at the floor, "I'm not though. I'm not."

Yashiro felt all the wind disappear from his sails and he let out a sigh, releasing her. The two of them slid down to the floor, Yashiro's back against Kotonami's bed and Kyoko's back to hers. They stared at each other for a long moment before Yashiro pulled off his glasses and rubbed a hand across his face.

"You are strong Kyoko-chan. From what you've told me, you've known a lot of betrayal. And still, you make friends so easily. You still trust in others. You believe that their default nature is 'good'. Ren doesn't. He...tolerates people."

"There's some people he likes," she mumbled back.

"Sure. That's true. And of all the people he likes-short list that there is, you're the one he trusts the most. Please, I am _begging_ you here. Please be honest with me. Have you said those words to each other?"

Kyoko glanced away again, "...No."

"Then how did you find out?"

Kyoko swallowed, and she tapped the toes of her boots together nervously, "It's...uh...it's in the little things, you know? It used to be, he didn't really know what love really was like, you know? I told him once, that he would know it, would know it's beginnings, if there was someone that he would look at, and if their smile made him happy, that was the beginning."

Yashiro stared at the girl in front of him, trying to comprehend this. She looked away, her words quiet, but strong as she continued to speak.

"I know, because he does things to make me smile. I know, because he worries. I know, because he chooses to tell me things about himself, that he would tell no one else. He's honest. And I can't not be honest back."

A tear slipped down her cheek and she covered her mouth with her hand and sniffed.

Yashiro was hard-pressed to not hold back his own tears. Funnily enough, he found himself being honest.

"My niece you met. I was eleven when she was born."

Yashiro saw Kyoko look over at him in confusion, but he continued, "My sister was seventeen when she had her. She'd fallen in love with an older man, wasn't going to college, had a position with a company lined up after she graduated high-school. For all intents and purposes, they were a match made in heaven."

Kyoko sniffed some more, and wiped at her face with her sleeve. Yashiro sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Except now, her older man has had an affair, has divorced her, and now she's thirty-four and thinks travelling the world with her daughter would be an exciting path to pursue. My niece has yet to graduate highschool, and wants to go to Todai, has been working her ass off to get in, but my sister thinks this is a wonderful idea."

"Yashiro-san?" asked Kyoko questioningly.

Yashiro put his glasses back on, and sent her the most serious look he could muster.

"What do you want to do when you're thirty-four Kyoko-chan?"

She stared at him, "Yashiro-san, I don't even know what I'm going to want for dinner tomorrow."

Yashiro snickered, he couldn't help himself.

"And if Ren says he wants to marry you tomorrow, what would you do?"

"Ask him if he's hit the whisky too much again," she gasped, scandalized.

Yashiro laughed, long and hard.

"Alright, alright. Then where do you see your relationship with him going?"

Kyoko worried at her bottom lip for a moment, "I don't...honestly Yashiro-san, we just have a lot of fun together. We've learned so much from each other, that...that sort of stuff...we could learn something new about each other _tomorrow_ , you know? I want us to stay, just like this, taking it one step at a time."

Yashiro smiled, leaned over, and ruffled her hair, "That's a good answer."

"Thank you, for asking, Yashiro-san. For not letting me run away," said Kyoko, a long while later.

"You're welcome Kyoko-chan."

They exchanged smiles. Then Yashiro spoke again.

"And Kyoko-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"My friends call me Yuki."

"Thanks Yuki."

"You're welcome."

…

With only a week left of shooting, Kyoko was facing the end of their long time on set with a vastly different perspective then from when she'd first arrived. She felt as if she'd grown as an actress, as a student still learning about the different parts of the industry (though she most enjoyed wardrobe and make-up work outside of acting), and as a young woman.

And if the past week had taught her anything, what with the Hizuri visit and the Morizumi problem, it was that she still had a lot more to learn.

"How are you feeling Kyoko-chan?" asked Nagahama-san as she pulled out Kyoko's heels for the dance hall scene and had her put them on.

"Nervous," muttered Kyoko back.

"Understandable."

In the Oguso part of the storyline, the years that passed for Yayoi before she saw Jack again felt both short, and like an eternity, or so it was described in their script. It felt short, because Yayoi had begun tutoring and teaching more and more students, both in traditional arts and in the philosophy she'd learned from her father.

Additionally, Yayoi had chosen to adopt from the orphanage. Shion-chan, the baby Yayoi had once come across as she was being left on the orphanage's doorstep when she was fifteen, had grown into a bright, vivacious girl. And Shion-chan _loved_ the tea ceremony. With the rest of the Yonedas' permission, Yayoi had chosen to adopt her.

Those years also felt like an eternity, because when Yayoi would read something new from her father's library, like Akutagawa or Camus, she would then turn excitedly to the other people she was around to discuss it, only to realize no one would be there to listen. The more Yayoi felt fulfilled by her duties and her purpose as the scion of the Yoneda Family, the more distant and disconnected she felt without someone around who could truly define her. She'd lost the surety that she'd once held that people truly knew her, knew her innermost thoughts and dreams. It felt...unbearably lonely.

Jack, conversely, had been lucky enough to come across Yayoi twice before they met again at an officer's retirement party in a dance hall in 1955. Yayoi hadn't known either time that he'd been there. The first time, had been an autumn festival in 1954. Shion-chan had gotten lost in a crowd, trying to keep up with her cat, and had stumbled across Jack.

Jack, even though it'd been years since he'd seen the girl last, had recognized her. He reintroduced himself to her, and through their brief conversation, Jack had come to figure out that Yayoi had adopted her. He'd looked for the Yonedas in the crowd, and helped her find them again. But when Shion-chan had turned to introduce him, he was already lost in the crowd again.

The second time he'd come across Yayoi, he'd been in a cafe, getting a coffee, and overheard her quoting Camus to the group of kids that were with her. It had been the very first thing Yoneda Michitada had ever said to him, in fact. _It is a great deal to fight while despising war, to accept losing everything while still preferring happiness, to face destruction while cherishing the idea of a higher civilization._ It had struck him, like an arrow nocked on a bow and released, striking true.

Jack, even after he'd resigned, had not dared to approach the Yonedas. He could not face them after his failure. He did not have the courage. And it seemed, as opposed to Yayoi's longing, that the gods were actually testing Jack's resolve. And his resolve broke on their third meeting. The officer's retirement party at the dance hall.

As so Kyoko stood there, aggravated by her own nervousness over the scene, and eager to face Tsuruga Ren once more on the battlefield.

"Kyoko-chan," said Nagahama-san as she stepped away.

Kyoko looked at her, listening. Nagahama-san smiled.

"Chin up," Kyoko did so, "Shoulders back," Kyoko did this too, "And most importantly," Nagahama-san's tone trailed off meaningfully. Kyoko looked at her questioningly and the seamstress smiled again.

"Have fun!"

Kyoko smiled at the unexpected sight of Nagahama-san doing her best interpretation of jazz hands.

"I will Nagahama-san."

Kyoko took her mark, and waited for Shingai to call action, Yayoi restless and yearning deep inside her.

…

Yayoi sipped her champagne, then looked down at it with a frown. Bubbly drinks were fun, but they just refused to makes ones that tasted yummy. That was her opinion anyway. She sighed and set the champagne back down on the tray the wait staff carried about the party.

Her cousin Hina had long since disappeared, and Yayoi was swiftly returning to the state of loneliness that had made her say yes to her cousin's invitation in the first place. Mi-chan was so preoccupied with her kids these days, and Shion-chan was a little too old to be happy playing with them all the time. Yayoi had recently begun to realize that she genuinely missed their old girl's nights she and Mi-chan used to have.

Perhaps she could do a fun one for Shion-chan? Or do an overnight event at the Inn for Shion-chan and her classmates? It would at least give her something else to focus on, she thought as she contemplated checking out the dessert table again. It was near the musician set up, and that violinist _was_ the best she'd ever heard. She contemplated this, wondering how she could wiggle past some of her father's old drinking buddies without being stopped and asked if she was thinking about marriage. She was a widow thank you very much, and wore that title proudly.

All of these thoughts came screeching to a halt when a waiter appeared in front of her with a white chrysanthemum on the cream and gold tray he held. The waiter bowed.

"From the gentleman at the railing Yoneda-sama."

She picked it up off the tray, studying it. One of the meanings of the flower was truth, and that suggested a puzzle of some sort. Who knew flowers like that? Who did _she_ know that knew such things? An old student?

She searched the dance hall. There were two tiers, with an upper gallery for people to view dancers below on the main floor. She looked up, heading to the staircase, trying to see if she could catch sight of anyone.

She got to the upper gallery, and checked the cafe tables around the railing. As she came upon her fourth one, she caught sight of a blue violet on one of the seats. She readjusted her parameters. Blue violets meant faithfulness. Truth and faith? Have faith in the truth? Have faith in what you trust?

Another waiter passed by, and handed her a note, "The gentleman said to give it to the lady at the railing."

She thanked him and opened the note, more excited for her puzzle then she'd been in some time.

"When one is weary of one's work and devotion to duty…" Yayoi stopped, and stared at the familiar handwriting on the note. She knew those words, had held them deep in her heart since she was but a girl. The one other person who would know what those words meant to her…

" _And what did you and father discuss this time?" Yayoi teased._

" _Camus, as he likes to," his hazel eyes smiled down at her, and they said the words together, "Always there comes an hour when one is weary.."_

 _They laughed quietly together._

Yayoi's hands trembled as she held the note, and a very familiar hand closed his fingers over hers, and brought one of her hands to his lips. She looked up, her heart racing.

Jack Taylor looked back down at her, and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

"Do you trust me?" Jack Taylor whispered down at her.

Yayoi, numb with disbelief, could only stare up at him, helplessly confused.

"I thought you were gone...You...you were supposed to be gone."

"I've been in Tokyo for over a year. That's where you can find me these days."

"You never...why didn't you ever come back?"

"I failed you. How could I have returned?"

Yayoi yanked her hand away, tears coming to her eyes.

"Goddamn you Jack Taylor."

He looked away, disappointment clear on his features, "I'll leave you to it then. I'm sorry to bother you."

He got one step away, before she spat out other words, "Why did you even bother with this…" she gestured angrily at the flowers and the note, "Why did you even bother to bring this up again, if you're so lacking in a spine that you turn away when I curse your name? Where's the man that stood in front of me years ago and demanded more?"

Jack Taylor wheeled back around, fire in his eyes, "Well, what happened to you?! What happened to your smile? I watched you for an hour down there! You stood around, sighed, sipped champagne, and God help me, but I was _worried._ "

"Yeah, well, I grew up! There, no need to worry!" She shouted back. Neither individual noticed other dance hall attendees slowly moving back down to the main floor, away from the shouting match that looked like it was going to escalate.

"I am always going to worry Yayoi!"

"Why?!" She fairly screamed at him, her chest heaving, her hand crumpling the note she held.

"Because someone should! Because you spend so much goddamned time worrying about others, that you have none left over for you! And damnit, it might as well be me! I've been in love with you since I can't even remember when!" He shouted back.

"Cut!"

Both Kyoko and Ren were abruptly thrown back out of their characters when the clapperboard snapped shut between them. They both shot a glare at the crew member, who scurried away as quickly as he'd come.

They turned to look at their director. Shingai seemed unable to stop smiling, but was trying his best to cover it up, "Great energy guys, I'm really loving this, I am, ahem, but ah, Kyoko-san, can you come here please?"

Kyoko did so, feeling a surge of guilt. What had she messed up?

"Sir?" She said softly.

Shingai patted her on the shoulder, and pried the note out of her hand. Kyoko flushed.

"I appreciate the energy, I do, ah, but we needed this slammed down on the table, we wanted a shot of it with the flowers, remember?"

"I am so sorry, Director," she mumbled to the floor, her face bright red. Shingai studied her for a moment.

"Hey, everyone, let's go ahead and take a break, hm? Meet back here in fifteen! Let's nail this in one more take, how's that sound?!" Shingai called out across the dance hall set and got back a smattering of cheers.

"Kyoko-san, can I be honest with you?" asked Shingai one they'd settled themselves into seats. Kyoko nodded, as she tightened the grasp on her fingers so she didn't start fretting over parts of her outfit. She was so incredibly conscious of what she was wearing, she'd struggled with not pulling at it since they'd put her in it in wardrobe.

"Alright then. To be perfectly honest, we went through a lot of girls before we got to you. Some didn't have the right look, some didn't have the right amount of knowledge of traditional customs, some didn't have the right amount of maturity, and some, well, they were too self-conscious."

Kyoko stilled her tapping toes as he said that last part, and she darted a guilty glance up at the director. He appeared to be part exasperated, part amused.

"Sir?" she squeaked out.

"I'm telling you this because we almost said no to you because of your age."

Kyoko felt herself relax slightly, she knew how to handle this. This complaint she'd heard many a time.

"Don't worry sir, I'm determined to finish this out. I won't give up! "

"No, that's not-"Shingai sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He decided another approach would probably be better.

"Kyoko-san, I know a bit of your story. Raised traditionally in a traditional inn, holder of a broken heart, and working in a traditional restaurant, even still, even though LME has employed you. You respect where you came from, despite what you've gone through because of it. What does this sound like?"

Kyoko swallowed nervously, "Um, like, a determined person?"

Shingai had to laugh at her sauciness there. And she probably hadn't even meant it. "No. What it sounds like, is Yayoi-san."

"... It does?" Kyoko blinked, "Oh, wait, I guess it does."

Shingai smiled, "I do apologize. But the deciding factor in using you, was because you already had similar tendencies and inclinations as Yayoi-san does. You're a natural actor already, and you've begun to refine your craft, to be sure. But you won this part, for your determination, and because you share so many qualities already with Yayoi."

"...Thank you?" she replied.

Shingai smothered a chuckle. Others might have been offended to be 'used', but this girl... Ah well, "The point being, we knew, meaning myself and Takashi-san, we would need to help you along in other ways other than those aspects. Especially with emotionally charged and complex things. This is because of your age. "

Kyoko winced a little as it circled back to the original point. "I'm sorry sir, if there's something I'm missing I can adjust-"

"Kyoko-san, look at me."

She glanced up as he interrupted her. Shingai smiled reassuringly.

"We're talking about you right now. Do you believe that what you've experienced has helped you to where you are now?"

"Yes. Undoubtedly," she replied with no hesitation.

"Good. Tell me about why you chose this path."

"But don't you already-"

"Humor me Kyoko-san."

"Well. Alright. Someone dear to me had a dream he could not give up. I wanted to support that. I did my best to support that, even leaving behind the people that had raised me," Kyoko couldn't help but look away, her fingers flexing and curling as she talked. She did her best to restrain her leftover grudges from thinking of the time she'd been so naive like that.

"It was entirely my fault that I expected more of my choice than what I got. I didn't realize that at the time. At the time, I just swore I'd get my revenge and become a bigger star than _he_ could ever be and I finagled my way into LME. They took pity on me and let me stay. But, still, it was…so petty a reason that I am ashamed of that behavior now. I am both thankful-because it got me here and I wouldn't change that for the world, and ashamed for behaving so recklessly and brazenly."

Shingai sent her a sympathetic look when she glanced back up at him.

"Then what happened? Heartbreak, then LME, what was the next big step?"

Kyoko smiled then, "Your Ring Doh set. It made me enjoy the craft itself, and everything about it."

"What else about it?"

Kyoko tilted her head, questioning, "What do you mean?"

"Wasn't there something you said to me then? What was it? Something about your own ability… How did that go?" His voice trailed off suggestively and Kyoko blushed.

"I, uh, I said, that uh, that I could not abide that I could not face Tsuruga Ren of my own ability," her words were quiet but Shingai heard them all the same.

"Ah yes, that's right. He pulled your reaction out of you. And how did you feel about that?"

"Terrible," said Kyoko flatly.

"Do you want that to happen again?"

Kyoko stared fearfully at the director, "What, what do you mean?!"

Shingai held the note up, crumpled as it was.

"This scene right here, right now. He's close to swallowing you up. Simply because of his age, he's had more experience doing this kind of scene. He's keeping his head. You misstepped. Are you satisfied with that?"

Kyoko was shaking her head side to side ferociously, a horrified look on her face.

"Then listen very, very carefully. Think of every single instance that you think defined the you that came onto my set and had the guts to take up Matsunai Ruriko's challenge," Shingai paused a moment as Kyoko seemed to be studying the floor with an oddly fierce intensity.

"Do you have them all in your mind?" he asked after a moment.

Kyoko nodded slowly. Shingai spoke again.

"As we are right now, you have done more in the last year and half since then to redefine and reshape yourself, then you did in the previous sixteen years, is that not the truth?"

"It is," she said quietly.

"When I talk about your age, I'm simply referring to the amount of time in which you have been able to experience things. This can be events, relationships, and work, whatever. What you need to think of right now, to appropriately sync with what Yayoi is feeling in this scene, is someone who has helped you do that."

Kyoko's mouth opened, then shut, her face adorably bewildered.

Shingai smiled, "Yayoi's family and their traditions defined Yayoi and made her the woman she was when she met Jack Taylor. But that is only her beginning. Jack Taylor, along with a couple others, wind up defining the very woman she becomes for the rest of her life. Think of the people that have helped shape you into who you are now. It can be man or woman, adult or child, but there is one person out of everyone, who you first thought of, right? There is one person out of everyone you've met, that you know, even as young as you are, you know they will define the woman you will be for the rest of your life. "

Kyoko felt helplessly transparent as Shingai studied her carefully, but she nodded again.

After a moment, Shingai said, "OK. Good. Now imagine yourself three years from now, or five. Are they with you?"

Kyoko nodded again, doing her damndest to not show how shaken she was by what Shingai had said.

Shingai's eyes glittered with something unfamiliar when he spoke again, "Now then, what if they weren't? What if you thought of that person _every single day_ in that time, but you never met? Not once."

Kyoko gaze darted to Shingai's, her cheeks getting wet from tears she'd done her damndest not to spill, and had spilled out anyway.

"What would you do Kyoko-san?" Shingai asked softly," What would you do?"

"...I...I don't know."

"And what if you met again? Some innocuous place, like a festival, a restaurant, a dance hall. What would you do then?"

Shingai felt a little bad when Kyoko just stared, and sniffled, trying to get her tears to stop. But as bad as it felt, he was more fascinated by the fire he saw appear in her eyes.

"I'm wearing Dior."

"Yes you are."

"I look fantastic."

"You're gorgeous even."

"I have had too many regrets to make this another. I refuse. Not again. I won't let that happen again."

A slow, delighted smile grew on Shingai face as Kyoko stood from her chair, her face fierce. She tossed her hair, and smoothed out her dress.

"Shingai-san, thank you very much."

"What for?"

"For helping me find my fire."

"My dear, you've had that all along. I just helped you channel it."

Ren tried to ask her what happened when they both took their places, but Kyoko only smiled.

"Are you here Ren?"

"What?"

"Are you here? On the battlefield?"

Kyoko sent him the most challenging look she could muster up, and was rewarded by Ren stepping back a little to look her over. A smirk flitted across his face for a millisecond.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm here."

…

"I am always going to worry Yayoi!"

She slammed the note down on the table next to the flowers, "Why?!" She screamed, her chest heaving as she got right up in his personal space.

"Because someone should! Because you spend so much goddamned time worrying about others, that you have none left over for you! And damnit, it might as well be me! I've been in love with you since I can't even remember when!" He shouted back.

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying!"

"If you'd loved me, you wouldn't have left me alone!" She was crying now when she screamed and Jack's heart ached.

He found himself slowly drawing her into his arms, enclosing her into a tight embrace. Her cries were muffled some as she buried her face in his chest, and Jack made soothing noises, over and over.

"I'm sorry, shh, shhh, I'm so sorry. I promise, I promise I won't do it again. I'm so sorry. Please, please believe me. Shhh, I'm sorry."

When her sobs slowed down enough for her to hear his words, Yayoi pulled away, and Jack offered her his handkerchief to mop up her tears.

"I'm sorry, your suit coat is a mess," Yayoi said eventually.

Jack shrugged, and whipped it off, "Look, I look good as new, hm?"

Yayoi laughed a little, then blew her nose once more.

Jack then tilted his head as he heard the double bass, guitarist and the violinist down below pick out a familiar tune.

"My final little bit I set up," he said quietly as he held his hands out to invite her to dance.

"All of that for a dance?" asked Yayoi, surprised at the effort.

Jack bowed theatrically, "Only the best for Yoneda Yayoi-sama."

Perhaps it was the ridiculous flattery, or the genuine affection on his face, but Yayoi just found herself blushing, and stepping up to join him. And he took her hand in one of his, and put his arm around her waist, and they began to dance.

"I'm pretty sure this is my favorite violinist I've ever heard," Yayoi mumbled into Jack's chest a little later, as he held her close and swung her side to side with the beat.

She heard him chuckle and his hand tightened on her waist for a moment, "Just wait til the trumpet joins in."

The trumpet did so a minute later, and Yayoi picked her head up in delighted surprise, but Jack just shook his head, "Nope, wait for it."

He began to move her faster, spinning her around once, twice, and the crescendo hit and Yayoi felt herself start to smile, then she began to laugh. Jack laughed with her, and spun her once more. The song slowed again, and Jack caught her and held her close to him again, his hand catching the back of her head, and tucking her face in close to his chest again.

They stood there, still hugging, even as the song ended. Until, finally, Jack stepped back, bowed, and kissed her hand one last time. Yayoi smiled, then curtsied, just to make him laugh again. That succeeded, and she smiled again.

He cradled her face as she did so, and he studied her intently, "There it is," he said, his voice sounding impossibly gentle and loving, "That's the smile I missed so much."

It was all Yayoi could do to stand there, and gaze back without fleeing the room. Kyoko felt this a little bit too, and was promptly relieved when Shingai called cut. She blew out a huge sigh and stepped back to catch her breath.

"Oh my God Tsuruga-san! This dress is so tight! Can you move in your clothes? I think I busted a seam!"

Any remaining tension between them promptly disappeared as Shingai-san, Iwasaki-san, and other crew that were close enough to hear, began to laugh. Ren sighed, looking as put upon as he ever did.

"Time and place, Mogami-san," he said, an absolutely hangdog expression on his face.

Kyoko could only giggle to herself a little. She had to keep him on his toes after all.

…

It wasn't an ending, not really. But it was. The past week had primarily been for the very last scenes of the third act within the last episode, such as the dance hall scene. And at the end of that week was the ending scene. The finale. Done, of course, to Takashi-san's specifications.

When Kyoko had first received the script for Act Six, she couldn't even pretend to be surprised. It seemed as if everything was leading up to this moment. Of course Director Shingai's series would end like this. Of course it would end with the tea ceremony. Of course that was how Jack and Yayoi's story ended.

Kyoko's heart was pounding so fast and so loud that she was sure everyone around her knew. Her eyes involuntarily sought out Takashi-san's. The writer had deliberately left the ending vague until the last possible moment. Kyoko knew now that that had been deliberately planned, most likely in cahoots with the director.

But, the writer gave her an encouraging smile, and Director Shingai, seated next to her, had a subtly pleased smirk on his face. Kyoko couldn't help but flush as she tore her gaze away. She knew that they knew. Was it not Shingai-san to whom she had first admitted what scene had made her start wanting to act? Who else knew, specifically, about that scene on that set that had first ignited her passion? And who knew, besides him, that it was the man that had been seated across from her that day that had been the spark? Kyoko swallowed, licking her suddenly dry lips to wet them.

On Ren's end-on Jack's, he would come into the inn, and be directed to wash his hands by Shion-chan, and then be directed to her room. And so she sat there in her sapphire blue iromuji kimono, after having placed her red carnation in its dish so it would be prominently displayed, and waited for him to come to her.

Jack entered, wearing similar formal dress to hers, and took his seat. Kyoko once more noted to herself how different this experience was to her last. She then began the steps of the ceremony. They greeted each other, and she set out her bowl of sweets and offered them to him while he waited on her to prepare the tea.

Once the tea was prepared, she offered that.

"I would like to serve you a bowl of tea," Yayoi said quietly.

Jack's response was just as quiet, "Thank you for making tea."

Another couple moments passed.

"I will finish," said Jack, his soft murmuring barely heard.

Jack handed the tea bowl back to her. She then began the typical cleaning up process, her movements efficient and graceful. As she was tucking a cleaning cloth back into her kimono, Jack spoke again.

"The red carnation."

"Yes, sir?"

"Picked for it's coloring?"

"Yes, sir, to compliment the sunset," Yayoi motioned to the sun setting from the deck they were sitting near, with the outside door open.

Jack deviated then, "No other meaning to the flower?"

Yayoi hid a smile as she finished cleaning, "Just one more."

She sat back on heels, meeting his gaze and smiling. She stood fluidly to escort him out to the garden.

"Available for you to view as you like, sir."

Kyoko expected Shingai to call cut once all motions and blocking of the scene were complete and they stood gazing out at the sun setting over the gardens. But he did not. And so she and Ren stood there, carefully not looking at each other until it became too awkward to explain. A soft sigh came from Ren's direction and she knew then that he'd garnered a solution.

His ability to improvise was uncannily good and she felt a brief moment of relief before her own challenging spirit rose again in her. They would leave this scene as equals, or not at all. She grit her teeth and tensed as he slowly turned to look at her. She almost missed what he said, his voice was so soft as he turned his gaze away again.

"Thank you very much Yoneda-sama. It was truly, truly the most beautiful I have ever seen you," He played with his hat, carefully looking out at the garden as he waited to hear her respond.

Perhaps he had been expecting something different, but Kyoko immediately understood that there was something more important Yoneda Yayoi needed to say to Junichi Jackson Taylor.

"You are my Odysseus," The words fell between them, damning in their certainty and Yayoi nearly lost all her courage in the face of speaking the truth, in this sacred place.

The man's face snapped towards hers, his face filled with uninhibited shock. His eyes roved over her features as he attempted to decipher what she'd just said. Absolutely stunned, he could only stare at her as she gazed steadily back, his heart pounding in his chest and hope began to sweep over him in dizzying waves.

"I may not be your Penelope, but you are my Odysseus." Yayoi said, stepping towards him and reaching out to touch his arm. The gesture was fluid, even as she felt she was one heartbeat from panicking over revealing the truth she'd kept locked inside for so long.

"It may have been only five years, and not twenty, but it's the truth, all the same. We made no promises, never even mentioned it, how could we have? But all these years, I have found myself walking those garden paths, ones we always used for our talks, and it was there, among the chrysanthemums, the carnations, the lilies, the daisies and the daffodils, that I realized. It did not matter how long it took, it did not matter the obstacles. I would wait. If I ever even had the shred of a chance to know the other half of my soul, if it could ever be possible… Then I would wait."

There was a pause, and Kyoko was startled to find that she'd gotten so far off-script but the scene had yet to be stopped. Underneath Yayoi's desperation and panic, Kyoko began to feel a trickle of unease.

"I… I was a fool. It was foolish of me to think that I could be satisfied simply by your memory. I cannot. I cannot and I refuse to do so any longer."

Jack reached out a hand as he said this, cupping her face, his eyes hot like fire, but the gesture gentle all the same. His thumb brushed her cheekbone and she felt herself swallow hard against the lump in her throat.

"If there is even the smallest chance that I could make you happy, the smallest chance for us to be together, then I'll take it," he said, his voice low and fierce, "Damn all the rest of it, but I'm taking this."

A laugh full of relief bubbled up out of her and she pressed her hand to his that still cupped her face. They stood there, laughing like a pair of fools, and tried to not cry at the same time.

"Cut!"

They blinked at each other, then glanced over at the director. Ren was the first to speak up, his voice hesitant.

"... Sir?"

Shingai frowned at them and Kyoko's unease came swooping back in. He turned away to look at Takashi.

"Kiss or no kiss here?"

Kyoko squeaked, turning bright red, and Ren had to quickly stifle laughter.

Takashi only studied the three of them, tapping the script against her shoulder absently.

"Why Odysseus?" she asked instead.

Kyoko fretted, and clasped her hands together to avoid fidgeting, "Because um, um, because the very first time they are honest with each other, it's because Yayoi wants to know if he has a Penelope. It seemed… right to say."

Takashi smiled, "Good. Very good. I wanted honesty here, above all else, I wanted a truly honest connection to happen here."

Kyoko felt a moment of pure relief, but that dissipated when Takashi turned to Ren, a frown on her face.

"Why no kiss?"

Kyoko had to stifle her own amused reaction when Ren flushed, looking uncomfortable.

"Uh, well, it, uh, was not… Previously discussed and uh…"

Takashi and Shingai exchanged amused looks, before Shingai spoke, "We admire your professionalism. Kyoko-chan, would such an action feel suitable here to you?"

Kyoko's own amusement disappeared now that the ball had landed in her court again. She looked between them all, and wetted her lips nervously. When she darted a glance at Ren, he just sent her a reassuring smile. She felt herself fall in love all over again as he just stood there, a strong figure of encouraging support, patiently waiting to hear what she would say. With renewed courage, she turned to the others and smiled.

"Yayoi is incredibly private about her personal feelings. This is a place where she works everyday, but also it is her home. It is...sacred to her. If we want to stay true to that, I suggest that it be left to the audience interpretation. Have us lean forward, but have it too dark to tell, perhaps. What do you think?"

When she read pride on Ren's features, and saw returning smiles on Takashi and Shingai's faces, she felt pretty positive that that was the right answer.

"Alright you two, back into position, let's take it from when your hand is on his Kyoko-chan. And let's wrap up this ending shall we?"

The small smattering of crew with them cheered as they got back into place. Kyoko had to struggle to keep her face neutral, as a warm, fuzzy feeling came over her.

"What's that smile for?" Ren whispered. Kyoko let herself smile anyways, as Shingai hadn't called for action yet.

"I'm happy. It's because I'm happy."

...

 _I cannot remember when I realized how lonely I was. It seemed as if all of sudden, that's all I knew. I spent my days reading, when not working. I took long hikes, simply to enjoy the lack of other people reminding me of my loneliness._

 _But, as always, the inescapable knowledge of loneliness would become known to me again. That is how I found the Yonedas. That is how I found the town at the base of Mt. Oguso. They were kind, but wary. I did my best to do right by them, and return their regard in kind. I succeeded sometimes, but know I failed at other times too._

 _But it made me learn. It made me learn that a tired, old professor who quotes Camus at you can tell the worst jokes, then say his son always did them better. It made me learn that a stern okami-san can wish you well on a hard journey, even when she dislikes you. It made me learn that love is in the little things: a daughter faithfully learning from the books her father gave her even when he is gone, an older sister helping sew a younger sister's wedding dress even when they're at odds, and one last love note faithfully kept by a widow even when it's stained with tears._

 _I thought for the longest time, that when we were at our loneliest, it was because we were truly alone. But that's not right. We are at our loneliest when we are scared to look around to see the love that surrounds us._

 _Take a look. It's in the little things._

 _ **-Spring at Mt. Oguso, Act Six, Junichi Jackson Taylor's Ending Narration**_

 **...**

This chapter is dedicated to my mother; she passed on three years ago this April. It's also dedicated to my mother-in-law, who held me tight and let me cry as much as I needed to.

Special shutout to: tmbookworm, kurakuma, michiyo, ariasm

Hit me up whenever ya like! Love the feedback guys!

 **Special thanks: brennakai, daamile, aikori**

Regards,

Artsy


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